


Wildflower Heart

by BustersJezebel



Category: Walking Dead, Walking Dead (Comics), Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: M/M, Male Slash, Rickyl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-29
Updated: 2014-04-19
Packaged: 2018-01-17 10:32:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1384300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BustersJezebel/pseuds/BustersJezebel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Can Daryl and Rick fight through their emotional baggage to find each other in this new world they now live in? Immediate follow on from Brickyl. Angst-ridden Rickyl. Explicit Rickyl. Image for story found on Twitter. I have no ownership of TWD TV or comics. This story is what I call AU-ish. Same characters, same setting, different storyline.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N - This story picks up immediately after Brickyl. While it's not necessary for you to read that, please be aware there are references to Brickyl as well as other one-shots in this series. If you're interested in reading Daryl's evolution they are as follows: Playing in the Tombs (chapter of Walking Dead Hook-Ups), Suckering Short Round, Redneck's Roses, Detaining Daryl and Brickyl. Special thanks must go to mrsreedus69 and delena20 as they asked for most of the follow on stories, except Brickyl, that came purely from my kinky and angst-ridden imagination. Daryl of course couldn't allow me to make this a one-shot, so unfortunately you won't get all of Rickyl this week.

Sitting up straight, Daryl cracks his neck. It was stiff from where he had slept crookedly in the chair with the sun warming his bones. He doesn't look at Rick though he's aware Rick is looking at him.

He's rubbing the back of his neck, preparing to get up and on with his day when Rick speaks.

"Why?" Daryl stands without answering. He shoulders his crossbow, checks his knives and steps away without speaking. Rick says nothing further. He knows Daryl heard his question.

He'll answer. Eventually.

Rick goes about his day and the ensuing ones as winter sets in. Their stores are enough to get through, provided they ration carefully and can continue to bring in fresh game and provided they don't find too many more survivors.

Wincing at the horrible practicality of that thought he checks with everyone before heading toward the crops and animals. He spends the rest of his day making sure the few crops are covered and protected. Repairs a few things for the animals they have on the grounds now.

He's sitting inside the small shed rubbing circulation back into his hands when he sees movement from the corner of his eye. Jerking his head up, he sees Daryl standing in the doorway of the shed. Rick swallows.

"Hey." He says softly. He speaks as if he's talking to a skittish foal.

"Hey, you 'bout done or need a hand?" He asks quietly as he takes off his crossbow.

"Yeah, and yeah. Nearly done, could use a hand with what I've got left. Just moving some shit around so it's easier to get to is all." When Rick slips his gloves on again Daryl takes out his own and does the same.

Then he follows Rick's lead and they reorganize what he wants done. When they're finished Rick takes up the thermos of tea he'd brought out. He pours some into the lid and drinks half of it down. The wind is bitter today and it's getting in around the cracks in the shed. He sits on a bag of feed, moving his butt to get comfortable and hands the cup to Daryl for a drink as well.

He stops all movement when he sees that Daryl turns the cup to take a drink from exactly where he had taken a drink from the cup. "Jesus." He says softly as he catches Daryl's laser blue eyes looking at him over the rim of the cup.

His cock jerks and fills behind his jeans and long johns, flannel shirt and coat regardless of the freezing cold. Rick very nearly rubs it before he remembers he's being watched too.

"Because you wanted her and wouldn't take her and I wanted you to have her, because you wanted her and I wanted you while you had her, I wanted you to partake. For once I wanted you to partake." Daryl finally answered the question Rick had asked him nearly two weeks ago.

Rick stilled while his mind sorted out the confusing words. Daryl knew he wanted Beth. Daryl also knew he wouldn't take Beth unless he pushed the issue. Daryl also wanted him, wanted him to partake? "Partake in what exactly? One of your orgies?" Rick asks with rancor in his tone. "You know I've never been into that, why do you keep asking?"

Daryl shook his head. "No, not those. Just her." He stopped and poured more tea, drinking half of it down before handing the rest back to Rick.

Rick looked at the cup in his hands. Then he looked up at Daryl standing in front of him. And like Daryl had done he turned the cup and drank from the same spot Daryl had just done.

Daryl inhaled sharply as he watched Rick take a drink from the spot his lips had touched. He felt something bloom inside him. They stared at each other without moving.

"Why 'just her'?" Rick asked softly. "Why not everyone else too?" He questioned Daryl softly, his words flowing quietly over to Daryl's ears like a leaf downriver.

"You never showed interest in anyone else, only Beth that day on watch." Daryl answered him softly, whispering as if to talk in a normal voice would break the spell "Wanted you to have what you wanted." His words are confusing, even to himself.

Shaking his head he turns to walk away but Rick is up like a shot, His arm slams across the doorway blocking Daryl from leaving. "Sit the fuck down." He orders, still in a low voice but one that says in no uncertain terms that Daryl will obey him for once.

"Why did you fuck me that way Daryl? Because I'm not stupid, you were fucking me, not Beth that night." Rick stands in front of the doorway, deliberately blocking Daryl from leaving. Daryl sits on the bag of feed now, his shoulders hunched in self-defense.

Rick scrubs his hands over his face and curses. Daryl looks up at him. "You've never looked at me like you looked at her." He says baldly.

"How the fuck did I look at her Daryl? Because frankly, I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about." Rick is frustrated now. Something is teasing his mind, like it teased his mind that night Daryl had fucked him through Beth.

"It was the first time I'd fucked a woman since Lori. It's not something I'll be continuing to do. I don't want a relationship with Beth, Michonne, with anyone!" He finally finishes with his voice raised.

And the truth hits him like a sledge-hammer.

Daryl is up like a shot and somehow manages to feint and throw off Rick's block and slide out the door like a freaking eel. He walks away, head down, shoulders hunched.

"Fuck! I'm such a stupid fucking cunt!" Rick curses himself as he kicks the bag of feed they'd both sat on. He sinks down on it again and feels the residual warmth Daryl had left.

He didn't want to fuck Beth again, he didn't want to fuck any other woman. He didn't want a relationship. But Daryl wanted one with him. "Fuck." He mutters to himself now.

Grabbing up the thermos he screws the lid on and then picks up the cup, shaking out the last dregs of tea before he goes to screw that on too. And he pauses, thinks of the way Daryl had turned the cup to drink from where Rick's own mouth had been.

More than that though he stared at the cup, running his thumb over where their mouths had touched together. He'd done the same thing. Deliberately. And Daryl had seen him do it.

Daryl. Who had brought him a woman, the only woman he'd had sexual thoughts about other than Lori. He'd gifted him with Beth. Yes he'd participated. But didn't he deserve to? He'd fulfilled a desire of Rick's while at the same time he'd fulfilled a fantasy of Beth's. He'd done that for both of them.

But he hadn't come. Rick remembered that. He remembered the look Daryl had given him as he'd stood up, before he'd kissed Beth goodbye. That look, fuck. What had Daryl gotten out of that night truly? He didn't know. Was beginning to think he'd never know.

Screwing the cup on the thermos Rick wrapped the scarf he'd hung on a hook around his neck and shoved the beanie on his head again as well and walked out into the waning afternoon light.

Despite the daylight nearly being gone everything was extremely bright to his eyes. He blinked away the moisture, telling himself it was just the coldness in the air causing his eyes to water.

At dinner that evening he is unsurprised to hear Daryl had gone on another hunt. He was relieved. He needed to think.

Over the next weeks Ricks thoughts are tumultuous at best, a snarling mess of obsidian and laser blue eyes and surprisingly soft lips at worst. He dreams in two colours, laser blue and obsidian. He wakes with his heart beating for something he doesn't know, doesn't understand. And he mourns for something he thinks he's lost as if his beating heart had been torn from his chest.

Single words run constantly through his head, occasionally they coalesce into a short blunt sentence. How? Why? When? How had this happened? Why him? Why them? When had it happened? Why hadn't he realised when it had happened? Over and over they batter at Rick's brain until he fears for his sanity all over again.

And one night sometime later, as winter turns to spring and opens the door to warmer breezes where people are sure they smell the ocean on them, he walks what is a well-worn path now. He stops as he sees a hardy wildflower sticking up out of a patch of still melting snow.

Impossible. And yet there it was. It hadn't been trampled by booted feet going from A to B. It hadn't yet been frozen by growing out of the snow. A singular drop of colour against a dirty white background. Staring at it, Rick realises what has happened.

Rubbing his chest he kneels and touches a finger to the wildflower. Strokes a dirty finger over a petal as if it was the most precious thing in the world to him, something to cherish, hold, keep close. And more, it was something to nurture. For the rest of their lives, it was something he should nurture.

And like the wildflowers three steps away that had been trampled, that is what he had done. With his own preconceptions and fucking stupidity. He'd trampled instead of nurturing. He was such a fucking idiot.

"You'll kill it if you pick it." The soft, almost whispered words slide through the air toward him, giving him a surge of hope so strong he nearly stands and crashes headlong into the person who'd said them.

Instead he strokes the petal one more time, envisioning someone's face in its place. Then he pulls his hand back curling it into a fist. Resting it on his thigh he takes a deep breath. And then another. And then he stands slowly and turns around.

Obsidian eyes, slitted like a snake as they watch him lazily. Hip cocked and simultaneously his shoulders were a weird combination of hunched and straight. No one else could stand like that. Rick knew it was because of the weight and place of the crossbow on Daryl's back.

But no, this wasn't Daryl. Not his Daryl. His Daryl had blue eyes, not obsidian eyes. This was everyone else's Daryl.

But at least this Daryl was speaking to him. "Wasn't gonna' pick it. Just admiring its survival instinct." He said softly as he drank Daryl in. For these past months he'd only seen him coming or going, never standing still long enough to truly look at.

"How's the huntin' goin'?" He asked as he began to walk back inside. He'd taken two steps before he realised Daryl hadn't followed. He glanced back in time to see Daryl deliberately lift his booted foot and crush the wildflower under his heel.

Like Rick had crushed his heart.

Acting on emotion Rick turned back and hurtled at Daryl. He barely had time to swing his crossbow to the ground before Rick tackled him. They went down in a sprawling mass of limbs and grunts of emotion.

The fists they exchanged were vicious and nasty. They split each other's lips. Blackened eyes and bruised ribs and Daryl being a dirty fighter managed to get a couple of sucker punches into Rick's kidneys. But it was his punch to Rick's groin that ended the fight.

He stood, breath ragged and warm as it rushed out in the evening air. "It was a fucking flower!" He exclaimed to Rick as he spat a globule of blood on the ground, narrowly missing it hitting Rick himself.

"It was more than that and I know it, don't you think I don't." Rick said tersely as he sat up holding his arms over his stomach. Ignoring the hand in front of his face he smacks it away instead and rolls to his knees and then stands slowly.

He cups a hand over his groin, "Guess fighting dirty is the only way a Dixon can win a proper fight then." He says sarcastically as he begins to limp back to the prison. He stops at the place of the smashed wildflower and looking back at Daryl, he also spits a globule of blood down on the ground.

Whether by design or accident it lands directly on the crushed wildflower.

Daryl's keening moan says more than a thousand words ever will.

And Rick feels what is left of his own scarred and scabbed over heart crack and die under the strain.

##########

They were back to sitting on the ground again, it was still a little damp but it felt good to sit on it anyway. And Herschel had scrounged a tarp so their bones didn't get too cold. Laying back and letting the morning sun soak into him Daryl finally felt warm in a way he hadn't done all winter.

Was it because he'd finally let go of hope? He thought of the fight he'd had with Rick some weeks ago and rubbed his fingers across his top lip where he now carried a small scar from where Rick's fist had caused his canine to punch through his lip.

Still and all though, he'd noticed Rick's knuckle also carried a scar from what Daryl thought was the same punch. He still didn't know why Rick had gotten so bent out of shape over his stepping on the wildflower.

_Fuck that shit_ , his conscience yelled at him. _You so fuckin' do know why_.

The scent of coffee rouses him. Opening his eyes he sits up and looks at Herschel standing there holding two steaming mugs. "Holy fuck, they found coffee on the last run?" Daryl questioned reverently as he took booth mugs and inhaled deeply as Herschel got himself situated.

"They sure did, I asked them not to tell you last night so I could surprise you." He grinned engagingly as he took a mug back from Daryl. "I didn't know how you took yours but I figured, in for a penny in for a pound so I put in milk and sugar, might as well have a sugar high as well as the unaccustomed caffeine high too don't you think?"

"Hell yeah." Daryl inhaled again and then took a sip not caring that he scalded his tongue. Despite doing so, he took another sip. "Fuck that's good. Now if I had a cigarette as well life would be fuckin' perfect." Herschel laughed.

"And a warm body in bed to go back to at night would be the icing on the cake." He smiled wistfully at the thought.

"Think you'll ever find someone again?" Daryl asked quietly. It was a thought rarely off his mind these days.

"Well, it's not something I'm looking for Daryl, I have to say. The good lord saw fit to bless me not once but twice with strong-minded beautiful women that gave me children, love, family that I'd never had growing up myself. I don't think I can expect he'll give me another chance." Herschel said quietly. He knew why Daryl was asking. "But having said that, I like to think I wouldn't be averse to finding someone else either. If we were compatible and liked each other. And I never thought I'd hear myself say that." He trailed off suddenly.

"Got someone in mind ol' timer?" Daryl teased him after they'd sat in silence for a time.

"No, I didn't. But, you've made me realise that maybe I should have." Herschel said musingly. And then, "But enough about me, what are you going to do?"

Daryl blinked. "Do 'bout what?"

Grinning Herschel shook a finger at him as he finished off the last of his coffee. "That really hit the spot, I want to know what you're going to do to be happy." He put his mug down and rested back on his hands letting the sun soak into his bones as well. Who would have thought he and Daryl would end up having a daily chat here, weather and work permitting and grow to become fast friends? He certainly hadn't, he'd started seeking Daryl out to talk about their home and when Daryl hadn't minded him doing so in what used to be his own silent morning meditations he'd continued to do so.

It had been months before he'd realised he was doing it as much for himself, if not more than to talk about their home. Their daily talks got Herschel through some fairly trying times as well.

Whether he realised it or not Daryl was a calming influence to be around. An old soul.

"Don't think I'd survive." Daryl's words are soft and very nearly break Herschel's own heart with their sorrow.

"Surviving is what you're doing now, would it be that different to try again and not succeed?" He asked softly.

Daryl lay back down again and closed his eyes. He puts his bandanna over them to block the sun and puts his hands behind his head. "I don't know Herschel. I just don't know. As a rule Dixon's never had good long-term relationships anyway, so if I went there and tried again and it worked, it still wouldn't last. We're fuck-ups, all of us in that respect. Like it's in our DNA or somethin'."

Before Daryl realises what has happened his bandanna is yanked off his face and snaps out and across his body flicking across the underside of his bicep in a stinging snap.

"Fuck!" He sits up looking over at Herschel. But it Herschel is looking over the other side of Daryl.

Rick is kneeling there with the bandana dangling from his hand. His face a thundercloud of anger. "You don't fuckin' say that shit about yourself. You don't put yourself down. Every person who knows you knows fuckin' well you can keep up a relationship. You're nothin' like your kin. You put yourself down like that again an I'll fuckin' beat it into your thick skull Daryl, see if I don't and you won't sucker punch me this time I swear to fuckin' God." Rick is up and away before Daryl can close his jaw from the shock or ask for his bandana back.

"Guess that answers your question about what you're going to do to be happy. Because from that little temper tantrum speech I think your time as a single person is running out." Herschel grinned at him as he maneuvered to his feet. "Rick is about to start reeling you in I think Daryl, whether you want to be reeled in or not." Laughing lightly Herschel bent and took up the mugs and walked back inside to deliver them to the kitchen.

Daryl folded up the tarp and put it with the chairs. He goes through his working day on autopilot. That night, as he's eating dinner with Glenn, Maggie, Herschel and Beth he feels a spreading heat against his back as Rick sits down beside him and across from Glenn.

He doesn't say anything and continues to eat, shoveling food into his mouth mechanically. He slides over toward Herschel as Judith squeezes herself in between he and Rick and he lets her crawl on to his lap as he finishes eating. Rick wordlessly pushes her food to him and he begins to help her eat her dinner.

Absorbing himself in Ass Kicker he laughs quietly as only she can make him do and it's only when she's gone off with Carol that he tunes back into the conversation. They're talking about runs, longer ones. Larger groups. Daryl stays silent for the most part, they were talking about something he'd broached months ago, before winter had set in.

It's only after a while that he realises Rick was leaning on him slightly and he was leaning back. It was something they hadn't done since summer. It was a habit they had of staying connected with each other during the day, especially if they hadn't been together for a little while.

And more than the leaning, tonight Rick's thigh was resting hard up against Daryl's as well. As he realised this a surge of heat flashed through his body, culminating in his cock as it began to fill behind his baggy jeans. Herschel was right he realised suddenly. Rick had decided or realised that Daryl was who he wanted and he wasn't letting Daryl get away.

That thought finished off his arousal and he became painfully hard. Thankful the table hid that fact he couldn't help leaning back against Rick and pushing back with his thigh as well. Saying yes, without physically saying yes.

Then Rick is moving his left arm back and behind Daryl as he stretches. Daryl moves with him, sitting up again. He looks over at Herschel who winks at him before returning to the conversation. Beth grins at him as well before standing and heading off. Eventually talk wanes and Herschel leaves as does Maggie heading for a shower.

"Coming Daryl?" Glenn asks as he stands preparatory to heading to bed, assuming Daryl will follow like he usually does when Glenn asks.

"Nah, done with that shit Glenn, I told you." He answers automatically like he has done for months now. He's ashamed to admit he hadn't wanted to really take part in anything since that night in the tombs that had finished with him taking Beth and Michonne at the same time.

He's even more ashamed to admit that Glenn and his wiles had still managed to talk him into participating several more times at least. It was a hard habit to break, being open sexually. A lifetime's habit if he was being honest with himself.

Not that he was closing himself off sexually, far from it. He'd just finally realised that variety wasn't everything. Now, one person was everything. The person sitting beside him.

He tunes back in with Glenn's words. "Hasn't stopped you before, let's go." Glenn started to walk away assuming Daryl would follow. But he stayed where he was. His decision to stay is bolstered by the firmer press of Rick's thigh against his own.

"Think Daryl's no actually means no Glenn, you have a good night now." Rick says quietly as Glenn turns around for a second time. Daryl looks up to see him narrow his eyes as he looks from Daryl to Rick. And the grin that crosses his pleasant-looking face is far from pleasant.

"Oh, like that now is it? Well Rick, good luck. But just so you're aware Daryl likes variety. You won't keep him faithful for long." He looks back at Daryl. "And if you think I'm taking you back again you're wrong, you don't come with me, I'm done with you good and proper Daryl."

Before Daryl can say anything Rick is up and looming over Glenn. "You say a fuckin' word like that again in your life about Daryl, you even think it and I'll shove a fuckin' shiv so far up your ass you'll shit out your mouth the rest of your fuckin' life Glenn, you just fuckin' try me boy."

The few remaining people in the common area all stop and stare at Rick and Glenn.

Glenn was far from a pussy but nor was he stupid. He recognised the absolute truth in Rick's words. More he recognised the truth in his eyes. And Daryl's eyes he realised as he glanced back at him. It was the way he looked at Maggie.

And so Glenn bowed out with what little grace he could still take with him. A nod to Rick. A nod to Daryl and he turned and walked away. He stopped again after a couple of steps and turned back. "Good luck Daryl, you deserve love like the rest of us you know. I never did tell you that." He said as he looked into Daryl's blue eyes. And then he turned and walked to his room and Maggie.

Rick released a breath as he turned back around and looked at Daryl. He was expecting a hell of a dressing down for going to town on Glenn like that. He'd never understood Daryl and Glenn's relationship if that's what it had been. But he was as sure as the sun rising every day that he'd just made sure they were well and truly done.

Laser blue eyes stare up at him in a face blazing with colour. Lips parted and nostrils flared. Blue eyes. The crack dividing his heart began to close up. Daryl's eyes were blue again. And…he had fucking watch. Rick groaned as he closed his own eyes Opening them he looked at Daryl who was frowning at him.

"I've got watch now." He said.

Daryl grinned. "You know where I sleep, been there often enough before."

Rick nodded and backed away. "We need to talk. A lot."

Daryl nodded now. "Yeah, a lot. Don't mean I won't be naked when you get there though."

Rick groaned. "You fucker." Daryl laughed at his words.

"You wish Sheriff, you wish." He said as he stood and stretched and walked away to his own room.

He didn't look back and neither did Rick when he turned and went to take his shift on watch.

They didn't need to. They knew there'd be more now.

##########

Daryl showered before he got into bed. He scrubbed himself raw and washed his hair twice before towelling it and himself dry roughly as well. He ignored the red patches on his skin from the scrubbing brush he'd used. They'd settle down soon enough. But he needed to be clean for Rick.

A need was thrumming in his blood by the time he got into his bed. Naked as he had said he'd be. He had no idea where they were going, but he was ready to get there. Had been ready for months. But he'd fucked up several times along the way.

But so had Rick.

So, they'd start tonight off new and fresh and all that shit. Suddenly though, he felt vulnerable lying naked in his bed. He sat up intending to at least put a pair of sweatpants on when a shadow moved over his bed. A battery lantern flicked on and off again quickly, but it was enough for him to recognise Rick.

"Hey." He said softly.

"Hi honey, I'm home." Rick answered softly making Daryl snort attempting to muffle a laugh.

"Usually the other way 'round, I'm climbing in bed with you." He swung the covers back and Rick sat down and bent to remove his boots. Daryl pushed himself back and rolled to his side, pillowing his head on his hands as he watched Rick's shadow move. He unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off with his jacket at the same time.

Pulling off his undershirt he unbuckled his belt and unfastened his pants. He stood for a brief second to push them and his underwear down, then he bent to pick them up and toss them over the chair with Daryl's clothes. It made his heart beat faster, that their clothes were just tossed over the same chair like that.

They were together, or they would be if they could sort through their mental shit.

Settling into bed Rick sat and rested his back on the wall, drawing the covers up around his hips. He frowns as he strokes a hand down Daryl's back and he winces a little. Leaning over he grabs and switches on the battery lantern again.

"What's wrong?" He asks as he shines the light on Daryl.

"Nothin', just scrubbed a little hard in the shower is all." Daryl said as he turned his face away from the light.

Rick held the light closer and tore the sheet away without warning. Raw red patches of skin met his gaze. What the fuck? He stared for several moments trying to process what he was seeing. Finally not knowing exactly why he looked up at Daryl with trepidation.

"Why did you scrub so hard Daryl?" He questioned quietly.

Daryl rolled his eyes. Then he looked back up into Rick's eyes and said without hesitation. "Clean body, clean slate." And he reached for Rick, pulling him down by his neck and for the first time in months he kisses him knowing that the kiss would be returned.

Rick gets lost in Daryl's kiss. It had been so long, he'd missed Daryl, missed coming to him at night after watch before Daryl started his. Missed sliding into bed beside his warm body, missed Daryl sliding into bed when he was already warming it.

"I can't say I miss the smells of everyone that you used to bring back with you, I'll admit that. But you didn't have to scrub yourself raw for me Daryl. You could have just asked me to wash you or something you know." Rick pulled away to say softly. He kept the lantern on to see Daryl's face, to see what he says non-verbally.

He was wily, would often test Rick by giving an answer without words. But Rick enjoyed learning and learning 'Daryl' was going to be an enjoyable and occasionally frustrating challenge. But one he was looking forward to.

Getting out of bed and leaving the lantern on, he steps to where Daryl keeps his few toiletries. He'd seen something, yes there it was. Grabbing up the tube he moves back to the bed. "Lie down on your back, we'll do your front first." Moving the lantern to the chair Rick pulls the curtain across the doorway properly and then opens the tube and squirts lotion onto his palm.

Rubbing his hands together to warm it he sits on the bed and begins to smooth the lotion over the raw patches of skin on Daryl's front. He doesn't speak and Daryl is docile under his hands which is a far cry from normal.

Stopping only to squirt more lotion Rick slowly works down Daryl's body to his feet and then back up to his arms and then he rolls him over. Daryl moves compliantly. Rick straddles Daryl now, sitting on his knees he rubs the back of Daryl's thighs, soothing the skin and then up over his buttocks and back.

Moving on to his shoulders as he moves up and straddles Daryl's thighs now. He feels Daryl move under him with a groan and knows he's aroused him. "Why didn't you come inside Beth?" Rick asked out of the blue. He's rubbing the last of the lotion into the back of Daryl's neck and he finishes as he asks and moves off Daryl. Turning to sit on the bed and resting his back against the wall again, he absently rubs a little leftover lotion on his own chest.

Jasmine scents the air from the lotion. It reminds Rick of hot summer nights under the stars.

"Didn't feel right. Haven't done that since I realised you were what I wanted to come home to." Daryl rolls onto his side and lays his head in Rick's lap. Ricks hand smooth's his hair, or tries to.

"You really need to comb this sometimes you know. And how long ago exactly did you realise that? It's been months since we've been together."

"Was, the night Maggie lost the bet to Michonne, I went back with her an' Beth after. I came in Michonne in the tombs and then in the room with 'em, I was enjoyin' myself, didn't come quick because I'd already come. And when I'd finished I saw how they were with each other." Daryl rubs his cheek on Rick's thigh. Rick doesn't say anything knowing Daryl hasn't finished.

"When I got back, you were here. Warm an' in bed waitin' for me. Felt like shit for leavin' you alone, Should've been here with you. Realised it was where I wanted to be, that I only wanted to come home to you, be with you. An' after that, it seemed wrong to come in other people. Even with you and Beth. Because I wouldn't have come in you." Daryl paused and drew in his breath.

"But I didn't think you wanted more than what we had, 'specially when I saw you wanted Beth. Same time though I didn't feel I could ask for more or had the right to say I wanted more. But I knew I could get her for you, give you a woman to fuck instead of me."

He closed his eyes and reached over Rick to switch off the lantern. Then he moved further down in the bed and pulled Rick with him. Rick let Daryl lie on his shoulder. He wasn't normally a cuddling man so Rick treasured his need for it tonight.

Tomorrow and more talk would come soon enough. Sex crosses neither of their minds for the moment. It is enough that they're together.


	2. Chapter 2

"Shh, Judy. We have to be quiet." Daryl stirs vaguely hearing words. Then he feels cool air as a blanket moves over his shoulder and someone tucks it in around him.

"Sorry son, everything okay?" The words are whispered.

"Yeah Dad, Judy just wanted to see Daryl and I saw you hadn't slept in your bed. I got worried." There is a pause and a shuffling sound and then the sound of clothing being pulled on. "Are you and Daryl together now? What about mum?" The words make Daryl's heart beat faster though he stays still and relaxed.

He ignores the small body that lies down on top of the covers, snuggling to him from behind. Until tiny hands grab hold of his hair and pull. "Ouch, Ass Kicker. You know you shouldn't wake me that way." He says, his voice a low, raspy rumble, thick with morning huskiness.

Before Rick can apologise he has turned and grabbed Judith, enveloping her in the covers he digs his fingers mercilessly into her ribs and she can do nothing but scream delightedly as Daryl has bundled her so tightly, she's wrapped like a mummy.

"Unca!" She squeals repeatedly before he finally sighs and stops. Resting his forehead on hers they star at each other for a few seconds. Blue eyes twinkle down into the black coffee coloured yes grinning back up at him.

"Hey Dad?" Carl asks quietly, no longer whispering as everyone in the room is awake.

"Yeah?" Daryl see's Rick out of the corner of his eye sitting the chair as he pulls on his boots. He can hear the smile in his voice.

"Mum would be okay with it I think, Daryl makes you laugh and she'd like that. But you guys need a bigger bed."

Daryl sits up, drawing the sheet with him so he remains covered from the waist down. Judith sits up and crawls into his lap and he hugs her as she settles down, her cheek resting on his chest tattoo. "Why do we need a bigger bed?" He looks straight at Carl as he asks the question ignoring Rick.

"So we can sleep with you, you know when you have bad dreams and stuff." Carl shrugs without looking at anyone.

"When we have bad dreams huh?" Daryl says quietly as he flicks a glance at Rick.

Carl nods. "Yeah, I know you have them, so do dad and Judy," Carl pauses without saying anything further.

"And you." Rick says quietly as he reaches for his son with his heart in his mouth. It was the first time Carl had mentioned them to him, though he knew he had them. But he'd never acknowledged them, to anyone that he knew of.

"Yeah, me too." Carl flings himself suddenly into Rick's arms. "I miss her, but she'd want us to be happy and I'm glad you are but I miss her!" His voice breaks as sobs tear his frame. Daryl holds Judith tighter as she tries to go to Carl.

He jerks his head at Rick and he picks Carl up and climbs into bed beside Daryl and Judith. They sit side-by-side as Daryl holds Judith and comforts her from Carl's crying and Rick holds Carl and lets his tears escape for the first time he can remember since Lori had been gone.

"It's okay to miss her Carl, I do every day. Every single day." Rick says into Carl's hair as he kisses him over and over on the top of his head.

They both ignore the few people who stick their heads around the curtain and they get the message and move back, leaving them alone.

Daryl nudges Rick when Carl stops crying and lies on his chest exhausted. Jerking his head at his sweatpants he raises an eyebrow at Rick. Rick nods and reaches for them, snagging them he gives them to Daryl.

Making sure Judith is still snuggled to him he manages to slide the sweatpants under the sheets and wriggle into them with a modicum of fuss. Judith grumbles at him disturbing her but simply moves with Daryl's body like a limp noodle as he moves around and hitches a hip from side to side to pull the pants up.

Eventually he hitches them to his hips and settles down again. He feels Rick's arm and leg beside his. And then the last relaxation of Judith's body as she drifts to sleep. He watches for Carl to do the same and he does soon after.

"So, they right? Do we need a bigger bed?" Daryl asks Rick quietly. Now is opportune. Neither of them are going to go off their heads with children in their arms.

"I guess, I was thinking a bigger everything." Rick says.

Daryl looks over at him, moving away slightly so he can look at Rick without cracking his neck. "You want to leave?"

Rick shakes his head. "No, but I think we need to leave. This isn't a place that'll ever be a home. I thought it would be but it's not. Not unless we find a way to make the cell blocks more like apartments or somethin'. People need that Daryl. This is okay for now, but not long-term. What if this is all? What if there isn't some government laboratory underground still searchin' for a cure? What if, this is all that is left? I think we need to start assumin' it is, that there is no rescue comin' for us." Rick breaks off to take a breath.

Silence descends on them for a time. Carl and Judith continue sleeping. "Our kingdom for a structural engineer." Daryl says softly out of the blue sometime later.

Rick snorts. "Fuck yeah."

Daryl smiled, he knew Rick would understand what he meant. "Okay, so then you want to look at leaving? Just the group or everyone?" He asked quietly. Rick always had the bigger picture in mind. If he said they needed to think longer term and assume there was nothing else coming then that's what they needed to do. Daryl dealt with the here and now, it was his forte.

"You should know though, I'd be just fine here and I never thought help was comin', not since we left the quarry." He spoke as he looked at Rick.

Rick looked at him. He looked down at his daughter lying comfortably in Daryl's arms. Nodding slightly he looked at Daryl. "That's okay, I have hope enough for both of us." And before Daryl can move he leans over and kisses him soundly.

Pulling away with a smacking sound that makes Daryl smile he sits up and moves Carl to the bed letting him lie down on his side. "We've got to get to work." Daryl nods and slides Judith down where she snuggles into his bedding.

Standing he lets Rick block him while he changes into his jeans and dresses properly. He sits in the chair to lace up his boots. "Compound." He says the word quietly without looking at Rick.

"Not bad, one with room for expansion." Rick says. "And our group if they want to come, I don't expect all of them will. And any others who want to come."

Daryl nods as he stands. He shoulders his crossbow and looks down at the children sleeping in his bedding. "They mine now too?" He looks up at Rick as he asks.

Rick looks down at his children. Were they Daryl's now too? He closes his eyes as he feels inside his heart and then he opens them and looks at Daryl. "Yeah, they're yours now too, you up for that?"

"I'm up for it." Daryl answers. "Ain't my father." He goes to turn away but Rick grabs him. He really needs to remember how fucking quick the man can be.

"I never thought you were like your old man, not from the moment I met you. I'm more like him than you are." He says vehemently.

Daryl's blue eyes look at him quietly for several long moments. "Nah, you ain't like him, wouldn't have touched you if you were." He watches Rick as he speaks and sees Rick swallow.

"Still can't believe you did that." He pulls back with a small smile that tells Daryl his mind is wandering down memory lane.

"I can't believe you asked the fuckin' shit you did." He laughs lightly as he remembers the questions Rick had asked him about having sex with men.

"Well, I was having all these fuckin' feelings, what the fuck was I supposed to do?" He questioned in a grumpy tone as they walked down to breakfast.

"What, even then?" Daryl stops and looks at him in shock.

"Why the fuck is that such a surprise Daryl? Like Glenn fuckin' said last night you're as deservin' as anyone." Rick is exasperated but Daryl suddenly surges forward and engulfs him in a strong hug, his lips crashing into Rick's with purpose.

Rick slides his arms around Daryl's hips and palms his backside. Daryl's crossbow leaves him no other choice and he liked the idea of touching Daryl's butt anytime anyway. He pulls him forward even as Daryl's pushes him back and they land against the wall with an oomph sound.

"Get a room you two." Beth calls up to them just as Daryl's hardening cock pushes on Ricks and he groans.

Daryl pulls away, resting his head on Rick's shoulder as he breathes. "Can't say fuckin' shit like that Sheriff, 'm not responsible for my actions when it comes to you." He steps back and palms Rick's cock quick as a snake. "Hold it until tonight, I'll make it worth your while." He adjusts himself before he begins to walk down the stairs.

Rick closes his eyes on a shudder as he tries to get his wayward pulse under control before he follows Daryl. He watches him brush a kiss over Beth's messy hair and she twinkles up at him. Unlike these past months it didn't set his green monster on the warpath. He knew for sure now that Daryl would only ever be in his bed from this day forward.

He gets his serve of breakfast and sits beside Daryl. "You serious about what you said before? Movin' on?" Daryl questions Rick as they eat. Beth joins them with her own breakfast after serving others.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm thinkin' like you said, there's gotta' be a compound we can fortify, maybe an old mansion we can do up, somethin'." Rick says.

"You're lookin' to move on? Just you and the kids?" Beth asks in a shocked tone.

"Beth, this place," Rick looks around. "Unless we pick up a structural engineer sometime soon, it's not ever really and truly going to be a home. Our kids, everyone's kids and all of us, we deserve to have a proper home." Beth smiles at the emphasis Rick placed on the word our. Rick smiled back.

"Daryl, you should talk to Daddy when you take your coffee out. He's waitin'." Beth stands. "I'll get your coffee now, only got about another day of it left."

They watch her leave. "She reminds me of Herschel." Rick says musingly as he scrubs his hand over his beard.

"Me too, has done for a bit now." Daryl answers. He finishes his breakfast and takes the coffee Beth brings back, she takes his dish and spoon in return, holding out a hand for Rick's as well. Daryl walks off to have his morning meeting with Herschel and Rick is just about to head to the fields when Beth and Glenn sit down in front of him.

"Rick," Glenn takes a breath. "I don't care what you think of me. Daryl and I, we had an arrangement. But I want you to know, if you hurt him anymore than you've already done, you will regret it. Like I said, he deserves happiness. I think you'll give him that, but you take care of him. You hear me?" Rick looks at his smiling face.

"Why do people always think you're such a fuckin' pussy?" He asks out of the blue.

"Because I'm cute." Glenn says simply.

Rick snorted. "Yeah, cute as a fuckin' poisonous snake." Glenn laughed as does Beth. "I get your meanin' Glenn. Can't say we won't argue, but I'll do my best not to hurt him." Glenn nodded.

Beth sat back for a few seconds. "So, am I ever gonna get a repeat of the three of us?" Glenn wiggled his eyebrows as Rick choked on the water he'd just drank.

"Ah, I…don't think so?" He wasn't interested in fucking Beth, he'd had her because of Daryl and because she'd wanted him. His fantasies had been just that, until Daryl had decided otherwise. But he didn't need or even want anyone other than Daryl. He watched as she crossed her arms and pouted at him.

"Then I get to watch you guys go at it, me and Mich. You used me, consider it payback." Rick gaped at her. Glenn laughed long and loud.

"She's got a point Rick, she told me what happened you know." He stood, "I'd like to watch too, that would be one sexy fuck." He put out his hand to Rick who stared up at him. "You take care of him now." Rick stands and puts his hand out as well.

"As much as he'll let anyone, yeah I'll take care of him." Glenn shook his head even as he shook his hand.

"Not good enough, you're the only one Daryl will actually let take care of him, I never even got to scratch the surface, you take care of him Rick." Glenn's last six words are said as he clamps tightly to Rick's hand and drags him in. Off balance Rick can only stare as he uses his other hand on the table to keep balance. "You understand me?" Glenn questions softly as Beth leans in and smiles beguilingly.

"Rick, we love you. You're family. But we love Daryl and he's family too. Like Glenn says though, we never even got to scratch the surface. You have done more than that. He loves you, he's in love with you. You treat him nice and we'll be fine, you don't treat him like you treated Lori at the end, not ever." With Beth's last two words she unsheathed the knife she carried on her hip and rested the blade delicately across the fingers Rick had splayed on the table.

Without moving in any way she looked up at Rick again. "Capisce?"

Nodding Rick waited for them to release him. "Holy fuck, I thought he was nothin' but a toy to y'all." He watched them both release him and stand and look at each other with a shrug.

"Its how he thinks of himself, it's not how we think of him." Glenn says. Beth nods and walks away without another word. Glenn nods at him as well and then follows her.

"Jesus fuckin' Christ." Rick wiped a hand over the back of his neck feeling the cold sweat that had gathered there. His balls had drawn up in fear at the twin looks of homicide that Glenn and Beth had carried on their faces. "Fuck." He mutters again as he grabs up his gloves and heads out to work off his shock.

Out in the fields Rick works on autopilot. Running over the conversation he'd had and not had with Daryl. Did they need to talk further? Yes, they did. They both knew that. Just as they both now knew they'd be returning to each other night after night, they still needed to talk. And they would. But there was no rush now.

Some things Rick just knew. That Daryl now belonged to him. That he belonged to Daryl. That they wouldn't fuck around on each other. That Daryl would now be there for Carl and Judith as much as Rick himself would be there for Daryl.

So yeah, some things he just knew. And some things he still didn't. Taking a breather in the shed he wiped his brow with Daryl's bandana that he'd taken away a while back. He never did give it back and Daryl had never asked for it. Holding it to his nose Rick inhaled fancying he could still smell Daryl on the cloth. Taking a drink he closed his eyes and wandered down memory lane.

##########

_It was a hot and humid night. He was still sweating like a pig from the daylight hours though the sun had been down for some time. Looking at the illuminated hands of his watch he sees it's nearly time for watch change. Walking to the balcony Rick leans on it and takes in the stillness._

_He was restless. Had been for a few weeks. He missed sex. Closing his eyes on a breath he let it out again. Why did he take so long to admit that to himself? That he needed sex? Companionship, a warm body. All of those things that were in short supply for him._

_He looked over at their graveyard. She'd had no body to bury, but they'd put a marker up for her anyway. "Why?" He whispered to her. She never answered, not anymore. "And why is that now?" He asked that question as well. When had she deemed him well enough to leave him alone? Or had he deemed himself well enough? "Fuck knows." He answers himself quietly._

_"First sign of madness." Daryl says laconically behind him causing Rick to jerk._

_"How the fuck do I never hear you comin'?" He asked in an irritated tone. In the moonlight he catches the surprise in Daryl's eyes before he schools everything from his expression. "Oh, don't be fuckin' like that I'm just pissy is all." Rick says to him in an even more irritated tone._

_"Why you pissy then Sheriff?" Daryl asks him as he leans a shoulder against the doorway._

_"It's hot, summer, dry, too many mouths, not enough food, I sleep alone, ain't got someone, tired of using my hand to jack off." He stopped, mortified he'd actually taken such a personal turn with his whining. Stiffening his shoulders he turns around to Daryl. He'd been taught to look a person in the eye when he apologised._

_"I'm sorry Daryl, there was no call to say such to you." Rick brushed past him on the way back inside. But he stopped as he breathed in passing Daryl. His brain fries at the scents wafting from him. Leaning in Rick puts his nose to the hollow of Daryl's throat and inhales deeply now._

_He is unsurprised to find himself slammed back against the other side of the doorway. But he is unapologetic this time. Looking into Daryl's eyes he says what he's thinking. "You smell like sex."_

_Daryl frowns. "So fuckin' what?" He keeps his palm flat against Rick's breastbone, he doesn't realise it but one of his fingers is pressing tightly against Rick's nipple. He feels his nipple respond to the touch that is not his own. Rick frowns. This was Daryl._

_Before he can say or think on anything further Daryl's hand has gone, it leave a curiously cold patch on Rick's skin underneath his shirt in place of its heat. "Guess you could say I'm envious." He finally answers Daryl._

_"Shit, I ain't stupid all you gotta' do is crook your fuckin' finger Sheriff and any woman here will come runnin'." Daryl answers with a sarcastic tinge in his voice._

_"Don't want 'any woman' Daryl, I want…" Rick trails off. "It don't matter what the fuck I want anyway, it ain't gonna happen." Rick curses himself softly for all of his complaining and stupidity tonight. "Night Daryl, you have a good watch now." He vanishes out the door and down the stairs leaving Daryl staring after him._

_A few nights later he was on watch again. He felt even more restless now. He'd felt restless to the point of jumping out of his skin ever since he'd smelled Daryl. It had been a very long time since he'd had enough sex that he'd smelled liked Daryl had. He hadn't realised he'd missed it._

_Closing his eyes he breathes in deeply, imagining he can smell that heavy, sharp and musky smell again tonight. After he's breathed it for a few minutes it slowly dawned on him that he is actually smelling it, not imagining. It._

_Daryl, Daryl was behind him. Rick breathed in one more time before he turned around. "I still got over an hour of watch left Daryl, what's up?" He prays Daryl can't see his expression too well. He tries for casual, leaning back on the railing, his hands resting on it behind him._

_"Oh nothin'," A grin flits across his mouth as he leans in the doorway before he pushes off it with his shoulder. Rick notices he's not carrying his crossbow. "I figured you might like another whiff, since you're missin' sex and all."_

_Rick narrows his eyes. "You messin' with me Daryl? Why?" Daryl shrugs as he moves to stand silently in front of Rick._

_"A mouth's a mouth Sheriff. I'm flexible like that." Rick frowns._

_"What's that mean, a mouth's a mouth? I don't know what the fuck that means."_

_"It means, I'm offerin' you the services of my mouth, if you want it." Daryl puts his hands on the railing, slides them adroitly between where Rick's own hands are spread away from his body. But he doesn't touch Rick in any other way. Merely looks at him._

_"I, what the fuck Daryl?" Rick is frozen by Daryl's eyes. He suddenly sees knowledge in them that he'd never noticed before. Knowledge that Rick spent years trying to achieve only to fail miserably. He knew he'd never been successful with women, then he'd met Lori and been grateful they'd had the feelings they did for each other._

_It became easy, they settled into a comfortable if staid intimacy quickly. But Daryl's eyes told him that he knew things about sex, they told him Daryl just plain knew sex. They promised Rick a good time. More, they promised him pleasure. A lot of pleasure._

_Finding his cock hardening at the thought of being inside a mouth however was a shock. This was Daryl for fucks sake. Daryl, his friend. He was practically Judith's uncle or godfather. And a man. Daryl had a cock of his own. Yeah, he was offering Rick's mouth but surely he'd expect recompense?_

_Another shaft of arousal tightened Rick's cock. What the fuck? Before Rick can move to push Daryl away he moves himself. "All good Sheriff, offer is there if you change your mind." He tosses over his shoulder as he walks back inside._

_Rick is on him before he can pick up his crossbow again, his arms winding around Daryl's shoulders from behind as he hugs him desperately. His nose buries itself in the side of Daryl's neck as he inhales deeply and presses his cock into Daryl's backside._

_Stiffening but not moving away or fighting the embrace Daryl speaks. "I offered the services of my mouth Sheriff, not my ass. You ain't gettin' that." His words are firm but he still doesn't move away. Rick can tell he's sensed his desperation to be near another warm body._

_"I," Rick pushes his cock deeply into Daryl's backside, trying to find the groove between his buttocks. When he finds it he moans. "I don't, I'm not, I need." Is what he finally finishes with._

_"You need huh? Tell me, what do you need Sheriff? I can help, but you gotta' tell me." His words are soft, whispered like warmed honey as it drizzled over oatmeal of a morning when Rick was a child._

_"Hold me." Rick isn't even sure if he's spoken aloud but it's the single coherent thought that comes clearly to his mind at the top of a long list._

_A sigh leaves Daryl a he twists somehow in Rick's arms without him moving or loosening his hold on Daryl. Rick's head moves to Daryl's shoulder without thought as his arms slide up under Daryl's arms, pulling his shoulders closer. He feels Daryl's arms come around him. Slowly they move around Rick's shoulders, one moves up to stroke his hair. The other strokes his back._

_Using long broad strokes up and down Rick's back, Daryl calms him emotionally. Rick leans all his weight on Daryl knowing he can take it. The hand stroking his hair stills after a bit and joins the one stroking his back._

_Losing track of time Rick just stays with Daryl. He doesn't speak, doesn't whisper and doesn't say the soothing nothings that women always say. He just holds him, offers him the comfort of an embrace._

_Before Rick is ready to release Daryl though, Daryl stops and pulls back. His hands hold Rick's face and pull him away. "No." Rick isn't ready to leave the warmth he's finally found._

_"Gotta', watch is over and I'm not on shift tonight." Daryl says. Rick closes his eyes. Swallowing, he stands up straight and moves away, back to the doorway to the balcony. He stops there looking out as he listens to Daryl preparing to leave._

_"Thank you Daryl," He turns back to look at him, owing him his eyes. "You don't know what that means to me."_

_Flashing his half grin Daryl answers him. "Oh no, I do. Which is why I'm gonna say this. You ever need a warm body Rick, you can come to me, may not always be there, but I eventually turn up." He nods and is gone without a sound. If Rick hadn't seen him go he wouldn't have known he'd gone._

_When his watch is over he goes back inside. Checking on his children Rick looks at his own empty bed. Sitting on it he thinks of Daryl's offer. Calling himself a fool he takes his things and heads to the showers. He is somehow unsurprised to see Daryl there. He knew he liked to shower when the fewest people were around._

_"Hey." Rick speaks as he steps into the showers._

_"Hey Sheriff." Daryl answers him._

_Rick feels that warmth Daryl had given him before sliding over him again though Daryl was nowhere close to him now. He strips economically and moves to the shower closest to Daryl without thinking of how it looks. He has never done it before on the occasions they'd been in here alone._

_Daryl looks at him but doesn't comment. He rinses his hair and after letting all the suds move down his body to the floor he switches off his shower and steps away. Rick watches as he soaps himself up and laughs to himself as he sees Daryl rub his towel over his hair to get the excess water and then he bends over and shakes it out, wipes it a couple more times and ignores it._

_He wipes his body and then dresses in a pair of sweatpants and stamps his feet into his boots but leaves them unlaced. Grabbing his dirty clothes he slings his towel around his neck and exits the showers without further speaking to Rick._

_Several nights later Rick finds himself pacing outside Daryl's room. He knows its empty, he's already checked inside. Daryl had told him he was okay to wait inside but he didn't feel comfortable doing that. Sometime later though he gives in and moves into Daryl's room. Sitting on the chair Rick makes himself comfortable._

_When he catches himself falling sideways as he dozes off, he gives in and moves to the bed. Taking off his boots he lies down on his side facing the wall. He's asleep before his head hits the pillow. Later he feels strong arms hugging him and a strong body surrounding him. He pushes back into the warmth without thought._

_Waking to his internal alarm in the morning Rick stares at the wall for a while before he realises it's not his wall. He's not in his bed. Then he feels the body behind him and sees the strong brown arm looped around his waist._

_He'd come to Daryl. Daryl had let him stay. Daryl who had offered him his mouth. At that stray thought Rick feels his morning erection become rock hard. He shifts forward a little, trying to put some space between himself and Daryl, though Daryl can't feel his erection._

_Daryl tightens his arm though, keeping Rick close in his embrace. "Don't usually sleep with someone, new experience for me." He says by way of a good morning. "You okay now?" He asks Rick as he rolls away to sit up._

_"Yeah, I am. Uh, thanks." Rick says as he stays still, facing the wall so Daryl can't see his aroused state. This was Daryl, it wasn't Lori, wasn't Andrea whom he'd had a passing fantasy about until he'd realised she'd started bumping uglies with Shane. It wasn't Beth, his usual jerk-off fantasy. It was Daryl._

_Rick's body didn't care._

_His cock wanted the person sitting on the bed beside him. Wanted inside their warm mouth as they'd offered. And God help him, wanted to fuck them. Wanted to be fucked by them. His hole flexes at the thought of Daryl being inside him. Rick tried telling himself he didn't do casual, he didn't do men, didn't want men, but nothing worked._

_Pretending to still be half asleep he waited until Daryl had dressed and left before he rolled over and pushed his hand down his jeans. A few awkward tugs and it was all over. And no one had to know what had been on his mind when he'd jerked off. That was his own business._

_##########_

_But he begins seeing Daryl in a whole new light. A desirable light. As the days go by Rick sticks to his own bed, but his wants, needs and desires are hungering for something. For someone._

_It is Michonne and Beth declaring themselves as a couple that slaps him in the face. They didn't even declare it so much as stop acting like they weren't a couple. They began to touch, to sit closer, stroke each other sometimes, an arm, a shoulder. And one night Rick saw them kiss. He couldn't help replacing Michonne's face with his own as he watched them._

_And so that fueled his close personal relationship with his hand for a while longer. And things may have stayed that way, until he smelled Daryl again one night when he came to take over watch. "Sorry, Rick. Didn't have time for a shower." Daryl says as he moves inside the guard tower to take over watch._

_"It's okay, I'm good." Rick lies easily even as he breathes deeply._

_Daryl snorts, "Yeah, guess that's why I'm seein' friction burns on your hand then ain't it?" He questions casually._

_"Fuck you." Rick tosses off as he moves to the stairs._

_"Yeah, but you want to don't you Sheriff?" Rick turns at Daryl's words._

_"Why do you call me Sheriff?" Daryl had never been one to call anyone other than Glenn a nickname on an ongoing basis. And suddenly, a shiny, copper coated penny dropped in Rick's mind. "You and Glenn? What about Maggie?" He watches as Daryl frowns at him._

_"Not tryin' to tell me you didn't know?" He asks, But the look on Rick's face says it all. He didn't know._

_"That you're homosexual? How the hell would I know that?" Rick asked in an irritated tone. "I just thought you were fuckin' a woman, or women, how the fuck would I know that shit? You know I ain't a gossip Daryl."_

_"Ain't a fuckin' fag." Daryl says in an angry tone._

_"Well then what do you call it?" Rick is getting angry now but before Daryl can answer another realisation hits Rick. "You call me Sheriff, or you do now. You never did before, not until…" He trailed off trying to figure something in his mind._

_He forgets Daryl until the man pushes up in his space. "I like dick, I like ass an' I like pussy. Guess you could say I'm flexible…Rick." Daryl places emphasis on Rick's name._

_"Flexible huh?" Rick ignores Daryl being up his space as he looks into his stormy blue eyes. "I can live with that. Guess you could say I'm kinda' obtuse when it comes to relationships and shit because I really had no idea." Daryl stares at him for another few seconds._

_"Okay, then yeah. Me an' Glenn, we're fuck buddies. Sometimes he brings Maggie in, sometimes he don't. And sometimes I fuck others too." Daryl nods and steps back. He turns and takes up his position at the balcony for watch._

_Rick stares after him. He walks forward and stands in the doorway. "So, I wouldn't be the first cock you've sucked then?" He questioned. For some reason that thought that he wouldn't be Daryl's first left him feeling hollow._

_"No." Daryl says no more._

_Rick hesitates and then turns to leave. At the stairs he stops and then turns back. "Guess I'll wait for you in your bed then?" His heart is beating ten to the dozen at what he's just asked. His palms are sweating and his cock is rearing like a wild stallion in his jeans._

_Daryl looked at him over his shoulder for a few unfathomable seconds. "Yeah, that's fine Sheriff."_

_And so he'd put aside his fears, his prejudices, his doubts, and taken that moment._

_Repeatedly._

When that moment had become something more was still kind of hazy, but Rick was sure it had happened well before he'd actually realised it. Of that he was certain.

Shaking his head Rick finished drinking his water. God, that felt like years ago, his journey of self-discovery. He remembers it like it was yesterday though. The wet heat of Daryl's mouth, the rasp of his bearded face. His fingers skating over his skin, touching him. Knowingly, the man knew how to touch another man that was for sure.

Rolling his shoulders against the jealousy that still now wanted to take over, Rick stood. Finishing his work for the day he went in to wash up.

* * *

_Their first time..._

He sat on Daryl's bed, naked and unsure. Daryl knelt between his legs, legs he had his hands resting on, his palms warm and callused. "You sure Sheriff?" His question is whispered quietly in the dead heat of the night.

Rick licked his lips. "'M sure Daryl, but...do I, uh...do you pull away when I...uh...come?" He stutters his way through the question trying to ignore his raging hard on dripping, it's front and centre, right between them. Hard and red and literally oozing pre-come.

"No, I swallow Rick, less' you got a problem with me swallowin' you?" Rick shakes his head, he is shocked to realise there is a thread of vulnerability in Daryl's blue eyes as he looks up at Rick. The small lantern is off to the side, half of his face is in shadow but Rick can see enough.

Vulnerability is not an option. Before he even realises what he's doing Rick reaches for Daryl with a hand and brushes the back of it over Daryl's cheekbone, then he palms his cheek before sliding his hand around to the back of Daryl's neck and carding his fingers through Daryl's hair. He fists his hand gently and pulls Daryl's face up to him.

"Ain't stupid Daryl, you're doin' the suckin', 'm well aware you'll be the one in charge. You wanna swallow my come, by all means you fuckin' swallow."

A blinding smile greets his words and Rick cannot help himself. He takes that final leap and for the first time in his life he kisses a man, truly kisses a man.

Not a buss on the cheek, not a quick peck on the lips, not an exploratory kiss or the first kind of getting to know you type kiss. A full on, mouths-meeting-teeth-clacking-tongue-twining kiss.

It is a game changer. He tongue fuck's Daryl's mouth and moans when Daryl returns the gesture immediately. Rick moans again when Daryl's teeth come into play and they don't just suck on his tongue, they fucking bite his tongue. Bringing up his other hand Rick slides it around Daryl's shoulders and pulls him close, he moans again when Daryl's shirt covered stomach brushes against his hard cock.

Pushing against Daryl's torso Rick tries to grind his cock between them enough to get off. But Daryl laughs lightly and pulls away. Both of their beards are coated in saliva, they're dripping. Rick shocks himself with the thought that he wants them to one day be dripping with each other's come. He wants to lean in and just lick himself off Daryl's face.

"Fuck, that I wasn't expectin'." Daryl murmurs as he looks at Rick.

"What's that?" Rick questions as he looks down slightly at Daryl, his hands are still wound around Daryl and he's on the verge of pulling him in close again.

"Thought you'd just wanna be sucked off is all." Daryl answers him as he begins to lower his head.

Rick stops him by grasping his hair again. "Is that all you want?" He questioned, placing emphasis on the word you.

A shrug is his answer. Rick narrows his eyes. It was an answer without being an answer, but it was still an answer. "I expected you'd want me to reciprocate Daryl?" He questioned further.

Another shrug. But Rick gets it now. And so he pulls on Daryl's hair before he can lower his head again and kisses his lips, softly this time though. Then he kisses down his neck to his chest where he licks softly. His hands move to the front of Daryl's body and he tweaks his nipples, just like he does to himself.

Unlike his, Daryl's respond better, "Oh now, that is a pretty sight." He says softly as he sees them all pink and pert and standing there on high beam for him.

"You fucker." Is groaned at him as he swoops down to kiss and lick at them. He grunts a chuckle even as he allows himself to nip, just a little, nice and soft. But he can tell from the jerk of hips that Daryl likes it. He keeps going, kissing and licking and nipping as far as he can go in his current position.

Then he feels himself pulled away and pushed back. "My mouth, your cock, now." Daryl says and Rick can only swallow at his firm words.

Leaning back on his elbow he watches as Daryl's hands slide from his own nipples down his stomach, scratch through his hair and then grasp h

is cock. "Wait, you should be naked." Rick says to Daryl.

Daryl looks up at him. "You sure?" Rick nods.

"'M not alone in this Daryl, if we're doin' this, we're doin' it together. Naked, kissin' jerkin' off. Blowin' and shit." Rick says as he stops shy of saying the word fucking. Daryl allows it though.

He stands and disrobes economically. He pauses before he turns his back only doing so when Rick says simply, "I've seen 'em before."

When he's naked he turns and kneels again before Rick. This time he doesn't delay. Rick barely gets the chance to see Daryl's own hard on before his head is falling back on his neck as Daryl's wet mouth engulfs him. "Fuck yes." Rick says as he lets himself fly. "Not gonna last long." He mutters as he feels hands on his hips imprison him.

Feeling Daryl's snorting laugh around his cock Rick grumbles back at him. "Fucker." But he can't say anymore. Daryl's tongue is flicking along his cock, his breath is hitting him in all the right places and his balls are drawing up. A hand leaves his hip and begins to roll his balls, the palm is rough and warm on them, then though, then it leaves his balls and strokes over his perineum, just strokes.

Over and over until a part of Rick he'd never thought of his in life came alive with nerves and tingles and goose bumps. And that is an overload. Just when Daryl's blunt thumb skates across his hole Rick releases inside Daryl's warm mouth.

"Fuuccckkkk." He draws the word out as he feels his come ooze out of his cock and into the haven of Daryl's mouth. He raises his head and opens his eyes to watch Daryl swallow.

"Sexy, fuckin' sexy." He mutters as he watches Daryl's dilated eyes look lazily up at him. He pulls off once Rick stops coming and Rick watches flabbergasted as Daryl then proceeds to lick his cock clean. He wouldn't even need to wipe himself down.

Not even realising what he's doing he sits up again and pulls Daryl up to him, his mouth closes over Daryl's without concern and his tongue winds into his mouth, searching deliberately for his own taste. He needs to see how it compares when it's inside Daryl. He moans as Daryl pushes his last mouthful into his own mouth.

Rick swallows himself down and pulls back a little. "You saved it for me?" It's a question. He's never had someone do that for him, to him before.

Daryl just nods. But his lips twitch a little. "Wanted to see if you liked come, you know since you want to reciprocate an' all." His words are dry and it takes Rick a second.

"Yeah, I do. I will. You got a problem with me workin' up to doin' that?"

Shaking his head Daryl stands. "Nope." He sits on the bed beside Rick and Rick sees his own cock isn't hard anymore.

Glancing down at the floor he sees come splattering it. Looking back at Daryl's cock he swallows as he feels saliva pool in his mouth. Before he can second guess himself he reaches and swipes his hand over Daryl's thigh, gathering up the few drops of come there. Then he brings his hand to his mouth and sniffs.

He looks over at Daryl who has stilled and is watching him carefully. "May I?" Rick questions him softly.

Another shrug is his answer. Still looking at Daryl Rick licks his palm. A long broad swipe of his tongue over the fleshy part of his palm. He closes his mouth as he and Daryl stare at each other unblinkingly. And then he rolls Daryl's taste around in his mouth, slowly getting used to it. And then as he blinks slowly Rick swallows him down.

He cannot help smiling at the faintest hitch in Daryl's breathing. Closing his eyes briefly Rick licks the last bit of Daryl off his palm. As he swallows he opens his eyes to see Daryl still looking at him. He knows Daryl is waiting for him to say something and he will. But not what Daryl is expecting.

"We taste good together." Is what Rick says. Soft and quiet. His words float across the small space to Daryl as his eyes widen briefly in surprise.

And then he smiles as he leans in and Rick meets him more than halfway to share their joint taste with him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter picks up immediately after the end of chapter one from Daryl's perspective.

Daryl started on Walker duty. Taking up whatever weapon was handy he began to slowly wade through the Walkers on the fence line. Glenn joined him after a time and they worked companionably on their side. They stopped to make sure others were keeping up, but as usual they hadn't.

"How the fuck did most of these people survive? They're so fuckin' slow." He mused as they continued to drop Walkers. Unlike Rick they liked to take care of each one, not leaving any still kicking.

"Hid, most of them. Didn't travel looking for a place like we did. Why most of 'em were half-starved when they got here." Glen answered him after a time.

"Sounds about right." Daryl answered him when they stopped to take a water break. Glenn stood looking off to the fields where they could see Rick working. "I threatened Rick this morning." He said out of the blue. "Well, me and Beth." He looked over at Daryl.

Frowning Daryl looked over the fields too. "Yeah? Why?" He doesn't get angry. He and Glenn had a fucked up relationship, but it was still a relationship of sorts. Started out convenient and stayed that way, but there was also a friendship twisted in there too.

"Told him he was the only person you'd ever let take care of you so he had to man up. Beth told him if he ever treated you like he did Lori at the end she'd cut off a couple of fingers. Threatened him with her knife." Glenn grinned making Daryl think oddly of a choir boy.

"Fuck, can't help yourselves can you?" He said. Something in his chest though unfurled at Glenn's words. They'd be okay. He hadn't been sure with the way Glenn had been toward him lately. "So, we okay then?" He can't help asking as he takes up the crowbar again.

Glenn takes up his own but pauses. "We will be. I know you don't like labels, but I also know you come down on the side of preferring guys. I also know I come down squarely in the middle. I need both. I want it to be you, but I get that it can't be you. But I need someone else. Or I will eventually." He doesn't look at Daryl as he begins to take aim through the fence and put Walkers down again.

"Fuck." Daryl says softly to himself. He'd had no idea. "Glenn," He trails off not sure what to say. How do you say it?

"It's okay Daryl, you didn't know because I didn't want you to know. Plus, I've already got Maggie, it wouldn't be fair, she would never go for the three of us together permanently I don't think, and I honestly don't think I want that either. Like I said last night, you deserve love as much as the rest of us. Probably more. I want you to have it." Glenn sighed as he looked out at the fields again. "I apologise if I made things more awkward with Rick after what I said this morning."

"Ain't needed, Rick's an adult, he can take care of himself." Daryl answers. They work several more feet and then finish their side. Wiping down their weapons they head to the jeep and begin the cumbersome task of picking up the truly now dead Walkers and taking them to burn.

When they've finished their side, they move on to the other sides of their property, taking up what the others have killed. When they're finally lighting the corpses up Daryl speaks. "Rick thinks there's gotta' be a better place. A place we can truly make home, a compound, maybe a big ass mansion with a nice high and secure fence." He says no more as he turns and looks at Glenn.

"Yeah, Herschel and I have talked like that too." Daryl nods.

"I'm thinkin' we need to maybe look at a town, a tiny one, if we can get a small one. One that had just a couple hundred people, or somethin' we can slowly wall it up over time. There's that sandstone quarry a half day's drive away." He gets in the jeep with Glenn and they drive back to the prison.

"Hey Glenn?" Daryl asks as they get out of the jeep back at the prison.

"Yeah?" Glenn answers as they walk inside. He stops as Daryl touches his arm.

"How old were you when you realised you liked both?" He knows Glenn will realise what he's talking about.

"Uh, maybe eighteen or nineteen I guess. First I figured I was gay, because I kept getting hard when I went to the pool and swam with my friends. Then I figured I liked girls because I got to see a couple naked. Then I was just confused. Didn't realise you could like both until I got to college."

Daryl nodded. He understood that completely. He'd been the opposite though. Figured he'd liked girls first because there had been no other option. But when his eyes had been opened to guys, he'd kind of gone a little overboard.

Heading inside Glenn heads off to Maggie and Daryl suddenly realises he has a someone to go to as well. He walks somewhat tentatively to Rick's room but he's not there. Neither are Judith and Carl. So Daryl heads to his own room but is surprised to hear Judith there. Pulling the curtain back he sees all three of the people he'd just been looking for packing up his stuff.

"Am I movin'?" He greets them seriously. What the hell are they doing?

"Yep, I need to be close to the kids and our girl here can't handle the stairs yet." Rick finishes rolling up Daryl's bedding and Carl gathers his other stuff while Judith takes his pillow. That leaves a duffel for him to take along with his weapons.

Without a word Daryl picks them up and follows them down the stairs. He grabs Judith and plonks her on his back and tosses the pillow on top of the bedding for Rick to take down. He swallows several times on the way, trying to keep his throat clear.

"We should get your chair too." Rick says as he dumps Daryl's bedding on his bed to be sorted out.

"I'll get it." Carl puts down his box of Daryl's belongings and is off again. Rick takes Judith from Daryl's shoulders and looks at him as she hugs him.

"I hope you're okay with this?" He questions quietly as Judith jabbers at them both.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Daryl swipes a hand through his hair and rubs his chin. "I'm good actually." He says as he leans in and kisses Rick. "Hi honey, did you have a good day?" Rick grins, remembering when he'd called Daryl honey the night before.

"Sure did darlin'." He answered in return.

"Oh eww, that I cannot stand." Maggie said as she came to the doorway. Rick looked at her wondering if she was going to threaten him as well.

Daryl looked at her and laughed. He rolled out his bedding and sorted out what could be used on Rick's current bed and folded up the rest. Maggie leaned in the doorway watching. "Daryl, 'm sorry about Glenn." She said finally. Rick frowned at Daryl as he stopped and looked at Maggie.

Daryl thought of a multitude of answers before settling on the only truly honest one. "'S okay, we already sorted it." He turns back to his belongings and begins to sort them. Maggie nods at Rick and turns away.

Rick looks at Daryl. "What did Glenn say to you?" He asked softly as he sat on the bed. Carl came back with the chair and took Judith away for dinner.

"He apologised and said he was sorry he didn't tell me how he felt sooner." Daryl answers bluntly. He didn't know of any way that could be sugar-coated.

"Huh, that explains his threat earlier." Daryl turned to him with a grin.

"Yeah, I hear you've had rather a hard day Sheriff, you need your boo boo's kissed?" He chuckles as he kneels in front of Rick and moves between his legs. Daryl adroitly releases Rick from the confines of his trousers as Rick reaches across and pulls the curtain.

"Never get used to you goin' without underwear." Daryl says as he opens his mouth on Rick's freshly showered cock.

"Haven't had the inclination to be lookin' for it when I leave the gates." Rick answers him huskily as he leans back on the bed and watches Daryl mouth fuck him. "Fuck, yeah. You're so fuckin' good, leave me for dead." He mutters as he pushes his hips forward into what he knows will be a welcoming haven.

Daryl pulls off for a few seconds, his hands continue to jack Rick off. "Oh you do fine Sheriff, just need more practice." His words are soft and arousing on their own. Then his eyes look up at Rick, blazing blue in the dim light of the room. "'M happy to volunteer anytime, you fuckin' know that."

And then Daryl's head is back on his cock. Tongue fluttering along his underside as he swallows him all down. God, he'd love to be able to do that to Daryl one day. Rick groaned as one of Daryl's hands lifted his sac, rolled it softly and then slid down further. His knowing fingers, his fucking expert knowing fingers scratch lightly over his perineum.

"Know me so well, I love that about you." He moans as he pushes down, pushes for the scratch again. He feels Daryl's fingers stutter on his skin as his mouth pauses and slowly pulls off his cock leaving him dripping pre-come and covered in saliva. "What? What's wrong?" Rick asks dazedly.

"You love what I do, or you love me?" Daryl places both palms flat on Rick's knees as he looks up at him steadily. Rick rolls his eyes as he tries to keep up with the turn in conversation.

"You, I love what you do to me. But I love you too." He says trying to clarify that he does love Daryl's touch, but not only his touch. "Your heart, I love your heart." He finally gathers enough common sense to fully clarify what he loves properly. He thinks.

"I've never told another man I loved him. That I'm in love with him." Daryl speaks slowly. His fingers tighten on Rick's legs before he releases a huge breath and his shoulders relax. He looks up at Rick again and smiles at him. It's a soft smile Rick has only ever seen him give Judith. Or him sometimes, but not often.

"You don't gotta' tell me now, I know Daryl, I know."

Daryl nods. "Good thing Rick, good thing." And then he is back on Rick's dripping cock. Rick swallows the slight ache in his heart that Daryl hadn't said the words anyway. But then he's feeling too good to care.

His cock is warm and wet and being sucked on firmly. Just the way he likes. A tongue is laving up and down his underside as knuckles skate across his balls making them draw up and fingers scratch his perineum several times before slowly skating down to his hole.

Feeling it flex and dilate in welcome Rick moans again softly. He grabs Daryl's pillow and shoves it in his mouth to muffle his sounds of desperate arousal. "Fuck," He pulls off the pillow to say softly, "Make me come baby." He stuff his mouth back in Daryl's pillow and inhales his scent.

Blue eyes look up at him with a feral, gleaming heat and Rick moans into the pillow again, he's out of control. His hips begin to move and he shouts into the pillow when he feels a somehow slick finger begin to work itself inside him, twisting and turning and, "Fuck" he shouts at Daryl, "You fucker," He finishes as his balls erupt into Daryl's mouth as his evil middle finger pushes and prods his prostate.

Groaning over and over into Daryl's pillow Rick allows himself to be milked dry by his expert mouth. He feels Daryl tuck his flaccid cock back in his jeans and re-fasten them. Then he straddles Rick's legs and leans over him grinning.

"Give me that fuckin' mouth." Rick reaches a still shaking hand out and yanks on Daryl's hair pulling him down.

Daryl laughs as he goes down to Rick's lips willingly, he kisses him with relish, loving to feel Rick's soft full lips move over his own thinner ones, followed by the heavy rasp of his beard. And he knew Rick loved to chase the taste of his own come in Daryl's mouth.

Pulling back Daryl grins down at him, Rick looks wrecked. His hair is messy, he's sweating and his lips red and swollen. And his beard is covered in saliva from Daryl's deliberately messy kissing

"Love you Sheriff." He says softly. Rick's eyes open slowly as he looks up at Daryl.

And he smiles.

##########

It was an interesting experience sharing a bed with someone each night. Daryl had never done it in his life before. He figured Lori would be turning over in her grave it she had one at the shit he and Rick got up to. But when he stopped and thought about it, he thought maybe she wouldn't. She'd been around Shane like a bitch in heat.

She'd got her head screwed on right but too late. But she'd still loved Rick and he'd loved her. They'd had huge issues though. Enough that Daryl didn't think they'd have ever worked it out. But yeah, maybe she loved Rick enough to be happy for him. Because he, Daryl fucking Dixon made Rick Grimes fucking happy. Who've thought?

Shaking his head Daryl dressed. They'd taken another cell the other side of the kids for their weapons and stuff. And were about to take a fourth for Carl to move into. Daryl had suggested it when he'd caught Carl's morning erection unexpectedly. He'd also harangued Rick into giving Carl another sex talk.

What a fuck up that had been. He'd ended up answering all of Carl's questions because Rick was too red-faced and embarrassed. Daryl didn't embarrass easily, especially about the physical aspect of  sex. Hell if he did he and Rick wouldn't be here now.

Doing his usual perimeter check on auto-pilot Daryl thinks of the first time he'd sucked Rick off. Yeah he'd liked it, loved it really. But the man had still needed to hug, he'd needed physical comfort. And with that this time came questions. A lot of questions.

_ "Daryl, when did you first realise you liked men?" Rick asked him quietly. His system was still revved from the orgasm Daryl had torn from him and he was lying cocooned in Daryl's arms, but questions had begun to assail him with his self realisation of his desire for Daryl. _

_ Frowning Daryl thought back. No one had ever asked him before, mainly because he'd never told any of his family, he appreciated not having broken bones or more scarred skin. "Ma, she had a sister, liked drugs. Used to turn up every so often with a different man. One time she turned up with a man who had a kid my age. We got to experimentin' and one thing led to another."  _

_It was a quick synopsis of hours of self-doubt and anxiety before Daryl had finally, finally just thought fuck it. With that thought had come action, like always in his life. And Bobby? Well he'd been happy to play and experiment with Daryl. He'd been the one who had taught Daryl to deep throat._

_He charged for blow jobs to pay for his Ma's drugs. Daryl he did for free._

_But he wouldn't say that to Rick. That would be disrespectful of Bobby. "We messed around a lot. I taught Bobby to hunt, to take care of himself in the woods and shit and he taught me how to fuck a man." Daryl finally clarified a bit further._

_"So you fuck men then? Do men, does Glenn fuck you?" Rick asked softly as Daryl held him firmly against his chest. He wasn't stupid he knew Rick needed the companionship more than anything. Though he'd certainly needed Daryl's mouth on his dick as well._

_Sighing Daryl loosened his hold. "Why do you want to know this shit Rick?" He asked him finally._

_"I guess…I want to know if what I'm feeling is genuine or whether I'm kinda'…getting' caught up in shit." His words are halting, as he thinks his way through the minefield now planted in his brain._

_ Rolling to his back Daryl makes sure he's still pushed up against Rick as he stays on his side facing away from him. He thinks for a while before he sits up. "I tell you what. Put your questions together and tomorrow night we'll take a walk and you can ask me and I'll answer. I gotta' admit, I'm not real comfortable talkin' about my personal shit. But for you I'll try." He says as he stands up.  _

_Pushing his feet into his boots he walks out of his room and down to take a leak. He hears Rick's soft agreement as he walks away._

_ When he returns he's surprised to still see him in his bed. Daryl shook his head. Man was sure needin' he thought. _

_ Removing his boots again he slid into bed and hooked his arm around Rick's waist. He was such a fuckin' idiot. No way was Rick gonna be interested in him. He wasn't relationship material. Dixon's weren't relationship material. Period. _

_##########_

_It's a couple of days before they can take their walk. Runs, Walkers and shift changes got in the way. It's another hot muggy summer night and they're walking amiably side by side without speaking. Rick gestures to a picnic table and Daryl follows his lead and meanders toward it._

_Ever since Rick had asked him questions he'd been getting his own flashbacks, not all of them had been good ones. He tried to avoid travelling down memory lane if he could. Nothing good had ever come out of it before. Sitting his ass down on the table, Daryl planted his legs on the seat. Rick sat on the seat and leaned his elbows back on the table._

_"Question away Sheriff, ain't got all night." Daryl says to him._

_"Okay then, so you like both men and women?" Rick asks._

_"Yeah." Daryl answered._

_ "Do you have a preference?"  _

_"Yeah." Daryl didn't elaborate, Rick hadn't asked him to._

_"How do you know you've got a preference?" Rick asked this time._

_ "Like and enjoy sex a bit more with 'em is all." Daryl answers. He's not trying to be deliberately evasive, he's just not used to explaining stuff. He's not the person people usually confide in or talk to. _

_"So, do you prefer men or women?" Rick asked after a pause in conversation_

_"That'd be my business." Daryl won't give him that._

_"Oh, okay. Sure. Sorry. So uh, are you okay if I ask you about the mechanics of sex with a man then?"_

_"Yeah, ask away." Daryl looks down at Rick wondering why he's asking this. Was Rick interested in having sex with a man? Shaking his head Daryl waits while Rick formulates his questions._

_"Shit, its anal right? I mean you fuck a man's ass?" His words are low, whispered but he turns and looks up at Daryl as he waits for his answer. "Does it hurt?"_

_ "You never had anal sex before, with Lori? With anyone?" Daryl asks curiously as Rick shakes his head after his first question. "Okay, then yeah, if you're lookin' at intercourse, one man fucks the other in the ass." He wonders if he should go on but Rick does before he can decide. _

_"Does it hurt?" He asks again._

_ "Can do, depends on whether you're the fucker or the fuckee and if you're the fuckee if depends on how good the man fuckin' you is." Daryl scratches his head wondering if that had made sense. He'd never subscribed to the phrases top and bottom. That was some fucked up shit. To him, he just fucked and sometimes he was fucked. Either worked. Despite how people saw him, when it came to sex, he picked his male partners carefully. _

_He waits while Rick formulates his next question. Daryl deliberately tries to avoid assuming he knows what Rick will ask. So far he hasn't asked anything Daryl expected. He watches as Rick leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees as he thinks. Daryl gives up sitting and twists his body to lie down on the table, his legs now dangling off one end._

_"Fuck that feels good, been up all day." He says as he stretches his arms over his head. Rick moves so he's facing the same way Daryl is, but he sits sideways on the seat, his legs up and his arms resting on his raised knees. He looks at Daryl and Daryl turns his head and looks over and slightly up at Rick._

_ Neither of them speak for the longest time. Daryl can see Rick's eyes moving over his face in the moonlight. Like he was memorising him or something.  _

_ "I feel like I'm seein' you for the first time all of a sudden." Rick says softly as he looks back into Daryl's eyes. "Except that's crazy, because I've known you for a few years now, seen you every day for the most part, spoken to you most every day too, but I still feel like I'm only just now beginnin' to know you."  _

_His slow measured words wind their way into Daryl's bloodstream, causing him to heat from the inside out. They were meaningful because Rick meant them, of that he was certain. And yet they couldn't mean anything. Rick was just horny and he was offering relief that was all._

_His next question though, well it floors Daryl._

_"Can I kiss you again?" Rick asked him in a whisper. He looks down after he asks this and then back up into Daryl's eyes again, letting him know he's serious. And he's holding his breath as if the answer means something to him. Maybe it does._

_Daryl wants to know why Rick is asking to kiss him out here. But he wants the kiss more, needs it more. Cursing himself on the inside for being a pussy he simply answers in the affirmative._

_Rick turns on the seat until he's sitting facing the table where Daryl lies and then he slowly leans forward. Daryl slides his head over but makes no other movement. Rick had asked to kiss him. Rick deserved the lead._

_Very nearly jerking in shock at the tenderness Rick displays as his hand comes up to cup Daryl's jaw he manages to stay still as Rick leans toward him. His face is solemn as he moves forward. His eyes are open as they look at Daryl._

_And then their lips meet. Soft, Rick's lips are soft. Chapped and yet still soft. His hand is still cupping Daryl's cheek and chin. He draws back slightly still staring at Daryl. And his thumb moves over Daryl's lips dragging slightly. After he does this a couple of times Daryl gives in and takes it into his mouth, sucking on it lightly._

_Rick's gasp is enough. Daryl reaches for him and he comes willingly, their mouths connect eagerly this time. Their tongues meet and entwine before they begin to explore each other's mouths without the rush of arousal they'd had last time. Daryl groans when Rick's hand moves from his face down his neck to ferret through his shirt buttons and stroke his chest._

_ His nipples are stroked gently, over and over, one then the other. His eyes flutter and roll at the pleasure Rick is giving him. The man could kiss that was for sure. And then he sucks in his breath even as they continue kissing each other as Rick's hand trails hesitantly now down his stomach to his jeans.  _

_ Making it easy he moves his free hand to his belt. But before he unbuckles it he breaks away for a few seconds to look at Rick. "You sure?" He asks quietly. Rick merely nods. Daryl fuses his mouth back to Rick's with an eagerness he hasn't felt since all those years ago with Bobby. _

_ Unbuckling his belt he unbuttons his pants and leaves the rest to Rick, who unzips them and pushes his hand into them without hesitation Daryl vaguely realises. _

_And then he is beyond thought. Rick is an expert at jerking off he finds out immediately. An expert. His hand is firm but not too firm, his thumb rides his tip with precision, pushing and sliding through his hole over and over. The angle is too awkward for him to do anything other than handle Daryl's cock and he's grateful because otherwise he thinks he'd be coming like he was sixteen again with Bobby._

_Breaking away he moans. "Fuck yes." Daryl says as his hips push up, trying for more friction. Rick surprises him by laughing lightly._

_"Down boy, let it happen." He teases and his touch softens, begins to stroke Daryl softly, keeping him on the edge but not tipping him over._

_"Fuck, you tease." Daryl groans now as he again tries to push into Rick's knowing touch. A soft chuckle is his only answer. And then Rick's other hand is on Daryl's head, turning him toward Rick's now hungry mouth._

_Daryl kisses him back. His own hands reaching for Rick's face, holding him prisoner as he returns his kisses tenfold. It is Rick's turn to moan now as Daryl kisses across his bearded cheek and down his jaw to kiss and suck on his Adam's apple._

_ "Fuckin' make me come." He orders harshly. Rick laughs lightly again. _

_"Nice to know I can surprise Mister Experience I guess." He says before moving his mouth back to Daryl's and beginning to jerk him off again. Firm and fast and riding the tip of Daryl's cock like it's his own._

_ Letting his orgasm boil up and over Daryl moans into Rick's mouth as he feels his come splash onto Rick's hand. Rick kept hold of him as he ejaculated and only when Daryl stopped moving his hips did he break away from his mouth and release his cock. _

_ Pulling it out of Daryl's pants slowly he brings his hand toward his face. It is covered in Daryl's come. He looks at it and Daryl hitches a hip, reaching for his bandana.  _

_ "No." Rick stops him. He looks at Daryl. "I want to taste you again." Daryl feels his cock twitch again at Rick's whispered words.  _

_"You don't need to." He answers just as quietly. His heart beating faster at the thought of Rick tasting him though._

_"I know, I said I want to." And with that Rick licks his palm. Daryl holds his breath as he watches Rick taste him. He frowns as he sees him roll his come around his mouth like he was tasting fucking wine or something. But then he swallowed and Daryl nearly swallowed his tongue._

_Because immediately after that he sucked his index finger into his mouth and cleaned it of Daryl's come. And then he repeated the process with every other finger and his thumb and his whole hand. Swallowing each time._

_ Daryl's cock was hard and aching again by the time he'd finished and looked back down at Daryl. Rick grinned and Daryl shook his head at him as he grinned back. "Teasin' fucker aren't you?"  _

_"Used to drive Lori mad sometimes." He answered cheerfully. Daryl shook his head again._

_"So, kiss me again then." Daryl says to him. Rick frowns and Daryl nods. "It's okay, I want to taste too." Rick obediently leans down and kisses Daryl, opening his mouth and letting Daryl explore, chase his own taste in Rick's mouth._

_ They both moan this time. When Daryl pulls away he can tell Rick is aroused. "Let's get back Rick, I'll return the favour." He sits up and Rick stands. He puts a hand on Daryl's forearm. _

_"You don't have to, unless you want to. You don't need to always please me that way, it's enough to spend time with you like this, to lie with you."_

_ Stopping, Daryl looked at Rick. "You tryin' to set up some kind of arrangement Sheriff?" He asked quietly as he moved to sit back down on the table. This was not a discussion he wanted to have within walls. _

_"Maybe, that a bad thing?" Rick sits down as well._

_"No, but I'm already, I've already got a couple of people I see." Daryl doesn't know any other way to say it. "I mess around a bit with 'em." He waits for Rick to answer him._

_"I kinda' figured that. I know I wouldn't be your only…what did you call it? Fuck buddy? Is that it? I never kept up with shit like that." He said with a tired tone in his voice._

_ "And you'd be okay with that?" Daryl asks curiously. If there is one thing Rick Grimes was built for, it was a committed relationship. _

_ "Yeah, I like you. 'M comfortable with you. And if you're okay to be with me when I need to be with someone for a night here and there, it sounds kinda' perfect. I've got two kids to look out for Daryl. I ain't got time myself to be looking for a relationship and such. If you're not around when I've got time, well I can wait for you to arrive. If you're okay with that, that is?" Rick looks across at Daryl and waits for his answer.  _

_ "You'd wait, be there when you needed to be, but you'd wait if I was out with someone else? You'd be okay with that?" Daryl is curious. "You're not messin' with me Sheriff?"  _

_ Rick shakes his head. "No Daryl, I ain't messin' with you, not about this."  _

_ "Okay, so what do we do? I suck you, you jerk me off? Anythin' else on your mind in that respect Rick?" Daryl asks now. He is not expecting the answer he gets. _

_ "Well, I expect eventually, if we continue to uh, hook-up we'll be fuckin' each other. I mean if you want to?" He is hesitant in his answer as he looks at Daryl. "I mean, I think that would be a natural progression of things, don't know how long it'll take me to work up to it though."  _

_ Daryl stands and surprises himself by holding out a hand. "Deal, when you're ready to be fucked you'll say so, when you're ready to suck my cock, you'll say so. But I'll be playin' with your ass next time I suck your cock, just so you know." He grins as he says it and Rick swallows a couple of times. _

_ Taking Daryl's hand he allows himself to be pulled to his feet. "My cock likes that idea Daryl. A lot." He says baldly as they begin to walk back inside.  _

_"Yeah, what 'bout your ass?" Daryl asks bluntly as they walk._

_Rick hesitates and then answers, "Yeah, that too." Quietly._

_L_ _aughing lightly Daryl bumps Rick's shoulder. "Got any more questions before we get back inside among the others then?"_

_Shaking his head Rick answers. "No, not at the moment, but I'm sure I will later."_

_"I'm sure you will too Rick."_

And so they'd begun. Every couple of weeks he'd return from watch or spending time with someone and Rick would be waiting. He never asked in advance if Daryl would be there, he never made any mention of the time they spent in his cell outside it around others at all.

Even when they'd be alone on watch or exchanging watch he'd never say 'see you later', or 'catch you soon'. Everything was above-board and open. And somehow their friendship grew even more.

And Daryl found himself looking forward to those times. And he figured Rick did too because the gaps between his visits got shorter and shorter until a few times a week was the norm for them. And on the nights Rick didn't come to him Daryl didn't sleep.

It was then that he knew he had gone and fallen for his Sheriff. For a time he managed to hide it, even from himself. But that night he'd come back to his cell from the tombs and then Michonne and Beth and Rick had been waiting for him, he knew he'd fallen.

Rick had commented on him smelling like those he'd had sex with. He'd been okay with it. Daryl hadn't. But he'd noticed. Man was like a fucking hawk.

He hadn't said anything. He may never have said anything if Daryl hadn't gone and noticed him looking at Beth that day. And Rick had gotten snarky with him and Daryl had gotten snarky in return. Made Rick fuck Beth while he did so he could mess with him.

Only way he knew to get back at the man. And it had worked, even if it made him feel like shit, it had worked. They'd still managed to fuck shit up for the winter though.

Daryl shook his head as he finished his sweep. He looked out to the fields and saw Rick was working alone. Walking over he stepped up as Rick stopped when he saw him coming.

"Hey." He took up a bottle of water and drank deeply.

"Hey yourself Sheriff." Daryl smiled at him. Dude sure was good lookin'. Then he frowned. "Where's your ring?" He saw Rick blush as he looked down at his bare ring finger.

"Seemed time." Daryl shook his head.

"Nah, you keep it on, she was your wife, you keep it on." He doesn't know why it's important that Rick keep his ring on but it is.

"Lori's dead Daryl, I love her but it's you I'm livin' with, you I'm in love with. It wouldn't be right. Carl should have it to wear one day. I found Lori's, I'm keepin' them for Judith."

His words stop Daryl and he thinks, rubbing his chin in thought. "What if I bring you another one back? Would you wear that?" He asked quietly.

Rick stared at him. "You askin' me to marry you Daryl?" Daryl snorted.

"Don't believe in that shit, 'sides people here would have a fuckin' fit. Nah, but would you wear a ring for me if I can find one?" He knows he can find one, he knows where there is a jewellery store.

"Only if you wear one for me." Rick says as he steps up to Daryl and draws him in, out in the open for a kiss people will see. Daryl breaks away as a whistle drifts to them on the air. They watch Michonne canter up and Glenn open the gates.

"I forgot. You created a monster with Beth, she wants another go 'round." Rick says as he watches Michonne dismount and walk her mare to the stables.

"What?" Daryl exclaimed as he turned to stare at Rick.

"Yeah, when I said no, she said she wanted to watch us fuck. Said she and Michonne would like to see that. Glenn said he would too." Rick grins at him and Daryl just stares.

"And you're grinnin' because?" He can't help asking.

"They think you're sexy Daryl, I got me a sexy redneck." Daryl lunges for Rick but he'd been expecting it and danced out of Daryl's way on a laugh.

Shaking his head Daryl looks at Rick. "Fucker, they want to see 'us' not me, they've seen me naked and they've fucked me. It's us, more you. Ain't me." He's certain that its both of them they want to see.

Rick paused as he packed up his tools. "Fuck, seriously? I mean, were they really serious? I never paid much attention to what y'all got up to." He goes on before Daryl can answer him. "You miss it, the messin' around?"

Walking back to the shed with Rick Daryl shakes his head. "Nope, not at all. Was gettin' sick of it I think, was ready to just be with Glenn when he wanted. But you stepped into my line of sight and didn't step out again."

Back in the shed Daryl sits while Rick wipes down his tools. He ponders Rick's earlier statement. "Yeah, I'd wear a ring for you." He says out of the blue as Rick finishes wiping down his tools.

He glanced over at Daryl with a grin. "Better get two when you're out next then." Daryl nods.

"I will." They walk back to the buildings together, shoulders brushing occasionally.

"Been thinkin', feel like I kinda' owe Beth." Rick says casually. Daryl frowns over at him.

"How do you owe her?" He asks.

"Well, I fucked her while you fucked me, she was literally stuck in the middle."

Laughing Daryl answered. "Was a place she wanted to be, she'd told me before she had a thing for you, you were a fantasy an' all that shit for her. Don't owe her nothin'."

"Yeah I do, bein' with her made me realise I didn't want to fuck around with anyone but you, didn't make me realise I wanted more, but she made me realise I didn't want anyone else either." Rick spoke as they crested the rise to the buildings and stopped, waiting for Michonne to get there too.

"What you gonna' do 'bout it then?" Daryl asks as they greet Michonne.

"I'm thinkin' on it." Rick said as he turned and they walked inside together.


	4. Chapter 4

A few days later Rick is on an early evening watch when a group return from a run. Daryl among them. He watches as Daryl leaves the unpacking and heads up to him. When he gets there Rick turns to walk inside the tower but Daryl stops him.

"No, stay out there." Rick leans back on the balcony wall and waits for Daryl to walk out to him. He smiles and Daryl smiles back, but hesitantly. Then he opens his hand and shows Rick two rings.

Yellow gold, they glint dully in dying light of the day. Rick swallows and looks up into glowing blue eyes. "Yes." He says and holds out his left hand.

Daryl takes one ring and slides it on Rick's ring finger. The ring fits perfectly and he frowns. Daryl grins. "I measured it, knew your size."

Rick holds out his other hand and Daryl drops the other ring into it. Then he hesitates. "I've never worn anything like this for another person, I want you to know that." Rick nods.

"I know, I may have but this," He rubs his thumb over the new ring on his hand in place of his old one. "Means the world, it's never comin' off." And with that he slides the other ring over Daryl's finger. He grins as Daryl frowns at it. "'S okay, you'll get used to it soon enough." And then he draws Daryl in for a kiss.

"And I've been thinkin' I figure there's gotta' be a way we can pay Beth back. But I'm not lettin' Glenn watch us." Rick speaks when they pull apart.

"You serious? You want to have sex with her and Michonne watchin'?" Daryl asks curiously.

Rick nods. "Gotta find out what she wants though."

"I can tell you, she'll want to see you fuck me or suck me." Daryl's tone is certain.

Rick laughs. "Well, maybe I should pick you up after your yoga lesson tonight then, make it a surprise." He quirks a brow at Daryl who stars at him.

"Who're you and what've you done with Rick?" Rick laughs.

"I don't like owin' her and I feel like I do."

Daryl nods. "I get that, guess you're right even though she did get you. She's the only other person here you've fucked isn't she?" He's not really sure whether Rick had any one night stands or anything. He just knew women liked him.

Nodding Rick confirmed his words. "Yeah and that's your fault. I woulda' been just fine with the odd fantasy." They look at each other and shake their heads over the mess their double teaming of Beth had caused.

Daryl stays until Rick's watch comes up to relieve him they walk downstairs together and head in to eat. They separate after dinner. Daryl to his lesson, Rick to the showers. Then he puts Judith to bed and he and Carl spend some time talking and getting him further settled in his new room.

After that, Rick heads out to pick up Daryl. He'd continued taking yoga lessons and doing it in their cell of an evening on the nights he didn't see Beth.

Rick could tell the stretching was helping his joints, especially his shoulder that he'd been having trouble with. He knocks on the door and Michonne calls for him to come in. They're not finished yet so Rick sits in the chair and watches Beth put both Michonne and Daryl through their paces.

Or he watches Daryl. They all bend and stretch and hold before moving fluidly to the next position. When they're finished and doing cool down stretches Rick realises he's hard. And like that he realises he doesn't want to share Daryl with them, with anyone. At all.

Wondering how the hell he's going to convey that to Daryl he's surprised when Daryl stands and heads to the door, "Let's go, I need a shower." Rick grins knowing Daryl had decided he wasn't going to do it either. He says goodnight to the women and they walk to the showers together.

He's already had his but he keeps Daryl company. Neither of them talk about not having sex in front of Beth and Michonne.

When they're back in their cell Rick hands Daryl a comb and though he grumbles he combs his hair while Rick undresses after going to check on Judith one last time.

"I couldn't do it, don't want to share you." Daryl finally says as he gets into bed.

"Me neither, I changed my mind too." Rick says as Daryl enfolds him into his arms. Their kiss is long and languid and they stroke each other's bodies, they're slow, drawing out the anticipation. Daryl pushes back the covers as Rick kisses his neck, sucking softly.

And then he's kissing down Daryl's body, sucking his nipples to hardness, kissing and licking down to his cock. Daryl spreads his legs shamelessly and Rick chuckles. "Fucker." He mutters.

Rick's fingers ghost over him lightly. Daryl hands him the lube they've got. He'd managed to get a couple more tubes today but they were still circumspect with it. The day would come when they ran out, though they tried to stay stocked up.

He feels Rick engulf him in the wet heat of his mouth and his hips jerk up. Then he feels fingers skate over his balls, scratching lightly as they go and then pinch and push lightly at his perineum. Then there is a pause and cold, lubed fingers are at his hole.

Moaning Daryl bears down as Rick fucks two fingers into him, heading straight for his prostate. "Fuck, yes." He says softly as Rick begins to prod it firmly. "Gonna make me come." He mutters.

"That's the idea, then I'll fuck you hard again and you can fuck me. All your stretchin' made me fuckin' horny." Rick says as he continues prod Daryl's prostate. Then his mouth is back on Daryl's cock, sucking firmly he begins to move up and down, his tongue laving the underside of Daryl's cock all the while.

And his fucking fingers prodding over and over on Daryl's prostate until he feels like he's going out of his mind. And then Rick, that fucker pulls back and starts tongue fucking his slit. Daryl had never felt anything like it, he fucking rolled his tongue in and somehow managed to fuck Daryl's slit like he'd never felt before.

When Rick begins to do this Daryl feels his balls draw up and Rick does too because he begins to suck on him again. And Daryl's hands hold Rick's face as he fucks him now, ruthlessly pushing his cock in and out of Rick's open and willing mouth until he explodes in orgasm with a shouted moan he only just manages to muffle with a pillow.

As he relaxes on the bed again. He feels Rick moving and then his cock pushing steadily into him. "Oh, fuck." He moans as the heat begins to make his cock twitch again. Spreading his legs wider he lets Rick fuck into him long and slow.

It had taken Rick awhile to gather his courage to be the fucker, he'd surprised Daryl by being the fuckee first. But when he'd started to fuck Daryl, he'd caught on quick and had learned exactly how Daryl liked to be fucked and then some.

And unlike most men Daryl had known, he liked to fuck face-to-face. Daryl enjoyed it, it got him off seeing other's come, but most men didn't like it. So he'd been happy when Rick had asked him if the position was possible and had wanted to try it and once he had he'd wanted to keep fucking that way as well.

He also liked to ride Daryl's dick like it was a fucking wild mustang. That had surprised him too. In fact, just about everything sexual he and Rick had done had surprised him. When he'd asked Rick about it, he'd said once he realised that he wanted Daryl, he didn't see any point in agonizing about it.

_"We only get one life Daryl, I'm fucked if I'm not gonna make the most of it now, especially when it could be taken from me tomorrow. When you could be taken from me tomorrow. Yeah I started out likin' women. But I don't see the sense in agonizin' over likin' and wantin' a man now when we could walk outside now and lose our lives. I'd rather take what I can get, give it too, without gettin' all bent out of shape over the gender of the person I'm fuckin'."_

That had been right around the time he'd decided he was ready to be the fuckee. Maybe that was when he'd well and truly fallen for Rick.

Either way Daryl would never forget those words as long as he lived.

Daryl kissed Rick as he leaned down, and then they began to fuck, nice and slow. Rick building him up again so he could be fucked too. It was something he liked, to fuck and be fucked straight away.

Daryl had no problem with that, he wasn't a man who came once and was then useless for hours. Neither was Rick. When Daryl fucked him, he'd come again too.

His eyes roll a little when Rick sucks on his nipples, he'd found out early Daryl like his nipples being played with and he enjoyed playing with them. His tongue flicks at them and he bites them softly, just the faintest scrape of his teeth, Rick was a believer in using teeth.

But delicately. Daryl had never felt the like. When others used their teeth on him he was usually left with bites and bruises, not with shivers and shakes and cries of more coming out of his mouth like now.

He moans again and pulls the pillow over his head as he feels his cock hardening again. Rick the fucker was not speeding up, he was fucking Daryl nice and slow, so slow he wouldn't come. So he could then fuck Rick. When he's fully erect again Rick begins to speed up, chasing his own orgasm now.

Daryl clenches his internal muscles as hard as he can on Rick and it's his turn to moan. "Oh fuck, yes." Daryl says as Rick releases inside him. "Fucking hot." He says as he feels Rick heating him from the inside out.

Collapsing on him for a few minutes Rick breathes heavily. "God, I love fucking you." He says as he pulls out. Kneeling up he shoves his fingers back inside Daryl and pulls them out to suck on.

"You are such a dirty fucker." Daryl says as he begins to jerk his cock off, keeping it hard for Rick. "Prep yourself for me, wanna watch you."

"And I'm the dirty fucker?" Rick says with a grin as he takes up the lube again and puts some on his fingers. He stands and moves to the chair with Daryl turning on his side to watch. Resting one hand on the chair back Rick looks over his shoulder at Daryl. "Comfy?" He asks as Daryl pillows his head on his hand.

"Sure am darlin'." Daryl grins as he answers. Rick shakes his head and then he spreads his legs and pushes his butt out. Still looking at Daryl he pushes two fingers inside his hole, stretching them apart, stretching himself for Daryl.

He's still breathing heavy from coming inside Daryl. And the same fingers that he'd had inside Daryl just moments ago scooping out his come to eat were now in his own backside. He moans breathily at the thought.

And then there are hands on his hips and breath on his backside. And then, "Oh fuck!" He exclaims as Daryl's tongue begins to lick his hole, around the fingers he still has inside himself. Already his cock is hardening again.

Then Daryl is gone. "Back on the bed." His words are husky, aroused. Rick removes his fingers and moves back to the bed. He straddles Daryl's prone form and without further ado sinks down over Daryl's cock, taking it in one long slow glide.

"Fuck." Rick says again as he feels himself spread for Daryl. His hands come to rest on Daryl's shoulders as he finally bottoms out on top of him.

He looks down at Daryl in the low light of their room. They've left a small lantern going, they like to be able to see each other. "I'm glad we didn't fuck in front of them." Rick whispers to Daryl as he begins to fuck up and down slowly on his cock.

"Me too. Mine." Daryl murmurs. Rick smiles as he holds up his left hand and kisses the ring Daryl had put there earlier in the evening. He takes Daryl's left hand and brings it to his mouth, kissing Daryl's ring as well.

Then Daryl is up like a shot, his arms wrapping around Rick's waist and sliding up his back to pull him down as Daryl lays down again. And he kisses Rick. Slow and wet their tongues entwine. Arm's hugging as they continue to fuck each other.

Rick pulls back eventually and arches his back, his hands resting on Daryl's spread thighs behind him as he begins to move up and down faster. Daryl flexes his hips moving up and down faster as well.

Rick feels his hardening cock being taken in hand and looks down to see Daryl's left hand grasping him and beginning to jerk him off. His ring glinting at him makes him smile.

And then his eyes are caught by Daryl's. And time slows and stills.

It's just the two of them, nothing else exists. They move in counterpart but are still together. And as Rick arches in orgasm he closes his eyes though he still sees Daryl's own blazing blue eyes fluttering closed as he released inside Rick as well.

Collapsing down on Daryl's chest Rick straightens his legs and reaches back for the blankets. It's not yet warm enough to sleep without blankets. He doesn't move off Daryl and Daryl's doesn't move him.

As they drift off to sleep Rick grins. "You're mine too, old man." He laughs softly as Daryl snorts and scrapes his nails down Rick's side, tickling him.

But he doesn't disagree.

##########

The next morning Daryl stretches, he feels better for taking lessons from Beth. He grins as Rick kisses the back of his neck before he goes to roust Judith and Carl. Grabbing his weapons Daryl heads down for breakfast. He eats and grabs two mugs of the raspberry tea they were now back to and walks out to Herschel.

"Mornin' Daryl." Herschel takes the tea while Daryl gets settled.

"Hey 'ol timer." Daryl grins as Herschel makes a harrumphing sound.

They sit and talk quietly as always. Make their plans talk about the council stuff they usually do. And all the while Daryl is comfortable, he feels at peace as he hasn't felt in a very long time.

Herschel taps his ring. "Congratulations."

Daryl puts out his finger and stares at the ring. "Well, we're not married, ain't having a ceremony or anything, but thanks."

"It's the thought that counts. And that's why I offered my congratulations Daryl."

Nodding Daryl lets his finger rest back on his mug with a dull clunking sound.

"Thanks, Herschel. Thanks."

They sit there for a further time. Sipping and talking about nothing in particular.

Then Herschel asks a question he's had on his mind for a few weeks now. "Have you talked and sorted everything out with Rick?"

Daryl nods. "Yeah, we're exclusive, committed, I got the kids too. You know discipline and shit?" Herschel nods agreeably. "And we make decisions together when we can. Don't get bent out of shape when we can't. We didn't have this huge conversation, mostly just here and there when stuff came up." Daryl stopped talking as he drank the last of his cooling tea.

"I guess, the thing will be to keep talkin', not get bent out of shape and shit, to talk about whatever the fuck's botherin' us soon as it starts botherin' us. I know Rick needs space sometimes, 'm like that myself and he knows that too." He shrugs. "I think we'll get there, won't always be easy, don't think it's meant to be, anythin' worth havin', it should be worked for I think?" He phrases his last sentence as a question and looks at Herschel for his opinion.

"Exactly right, anything in this life worth having, should be work. Even if it only means you appreciate it that much more. Congratulations Daryl, you're going to be just fine with Rick, just make sure you don't let the sun go down on an argument." Herschel gripped Daryl's shoulder as he got to his feet. Then with a pat he took their mugs and walked back inside. Daryl looked after him until a shadow fell over him.

He squints up and Rick as he kneels and moves so his body is blocking the sun. "Mornin' again." He says as he leans in for a kiss. Daryl kisses him back and watches as Rick sits back, again making sure his shadow keeps Daryl shaded.

Daryl flashed on Glenn all those months ago and how he'd thought he'd been doing the same thing when he hadn't been. He knew instinctively Rick was deliberately blocking the sun for him. It's what people did for their other halves he now knew and realised.

"I been thinkin' where we could go. We need some better maps, I figure the local law enforcement offices might have somethin' we can use. Or local town plannin' office. But I was also thinkin', how local do we wanna' stay?" Rick moved back as Daryl stood up and held out a hand to him.

"Not too local. I been thinkin' on a place, but I need to check it out. I'm thinkin' we need to head for the hills. Harsher climate, 'specially winter, but there's a couple of places I think might do, if they ain't already occupied." Daryl settles his crossbow on his back and he and Rick walk down to the fields together. "Can leave in a day or two, figure I'll take Beth, Bob, Tyrese, Sasha and that Patrick kid. He's damn light on his feet and we could use tiny in some spaces."

Rick chuckled. "Yeah, not Glenn?" He asked as he began to grab the tools he needed. Daryl and Glenn almost always travelled together.

"Nah, he can come with you, if the other's like the look of it. I want Sasha to look at it, Beth will look at it with Herschel's eyes. Bob and Patrick will be lookouts and Tyrese can look at it with a view to wallin' it up."

"I'm okay with it you know, if you want to take Glenn. I know you ain't goin' back there Daryl." Rick says as Daryl walks with him to the fields.

"Yeah, I know that, ain't leavin' him home for you. 'M leavin' him at home for himself." Rick frowned as he stopped at looked at Daryl.

"Shit, really? Now I feel like shit." He says as he realises what Daryl didn't say. Man was a master of the non-verbal answer that was for sure.

"Ain't your cause to feel that way, he never said nothin', wouldn't have made a difference, I never felt that way for him." Daryl turns his head to Rick, looking at him evenly as he speaks.

"Good, 'cause I think I might have dueled for you Daryl Dixon." Rick says softly as he looks into Daryl's glowing blue eyes.

With a snort Daryl began to walk away. "Gotta know how to use a sword for that Sheriff." Rick grinned as he noticed the tips of Daryl's ears were red.

"Yeah yeah." He mutters as he goes about his daily work.

##########

A couple of days later Daryl and his chosen group drive out. The council is aware he's looking at a small town near where he grew up. One that you'd miss if you blinked as you were driving through it, it was that small apparently. What he likes about it, is that its surrounded on two sides, it would be easier to wall off.

Rick doesn't sleep well when Daryl is gone, he hardly ever did when Daryl wasn't with him these days. When he returns after a couple of weeks it's all Rick can do not to kidnap him for some alone time straight away.

That night he and Sasha and the other's talk to the council. It's a possibility, a real possibility. The next group to go take a look includes Rick and Glenn and Michonne and Herschel this time. Unless a herd comes around Herschel should be okay not being able to run too far.

Rick looks at his babies a week later as he gets up to leave. Beth will take care of them he knows. As will Maggie and Carol and T. But they're still his and both their parents are leaving them this time. That is not a good idea.

But, if anyone can make it back alive, it's Daryl. They all travel companionably and quietly. On the way there they look at what can be used to wall the place up. What they can scavenge.

When they get there Daryl is driving. He crests a small rise and stops his vehicle. The other stops behind. Stepping out he moves to the front, everyone else follows him.

"Wow." Glenn says as he looks at the small town nestled at the foothills of the mountain range.

"River's to the north, I've checked the flood lines. Closest house ain't near the highest flood line I found. Gorge to the south and then you got this way in and the mountains. It'd be work, but I like bein' protected, out-of-the-way. Mean longer runs though until we can be fully self-sufficient again. And it's a higher elevation so winter'll be worse." Daryl stops speaking allowing the other's to look their fill.

"If you say yes, I already picked our house." He says softly to Rick.

Looking over at Daryl, Rick smiles. And he shakes his head. "Of course you have." He says with a grin. He knew it would be a strong house, one that had room for them all. Looking back at the town he looks out over toward the horizon. "I like it, I like it a lot. But you're right. Lot of work."

Herschel murmured an agreement as did Glenn. But no one had said no outright. Getting back in their vehicles they head into town. When Daryl had been here the first time, they'd cleared the houses and locked them up tightly. They didn't need to be open yet.

Settling in for the night in what seems to be the town hall they talk. Like the others, this current group all agree, the town has potential. "Unless we find something else quick, I vote we start to prepare to move. I think we should do as many runs as we can and gather what we can so we can move it all together. And we should get a group here now to start on a temporary wall at least." Glenn is already planning.

"Well, we have to broach it with the whole group we've got." Rick rubs Daryl's thigh as he speaks, thinking aloud. "Probably not all of 'em are gonna' want to come and that's fine."

"Do you think your council will be usurped?" Michonne asks quietly. Cutting to the chase as always.

"Maybe, but I think if we're telling everyone they're more than welcome to come along I think we can avoid that." Herschel says.

Glenn agrees. "But all the same, if some people decide to stay, they're going to expect to be left with the lions share of stores we've got now." He answers.

"Ain't gonna happen." Rick said. "We found 'em, we brought 'em to the prison, we still do most of the huntin' and scavengin', we'll take a fair and shared percentage once we've worked out who's gonna stay and whose gonna go. We created that prison, we ain't getting' thrown the fuck out on our asses." His words are firm, they brook no argument.

"So for the purposes of this move, I guess we're back livin' in a Ricktatorship again then huh?' Daryl questions out of the blue.

There is a small pause before everyone bursts into laughter.

Rick looks at them all, even Daryl is laughing albeit not as uncontrollably as the others. "Ricktatorship huh?" He questions Daryl. "Did you come up with that term smartass?"

Shaking his head Daryl said no. "That'd be…I don't rightly know actually now that I think about it. I'd say Shane 'cept he was long gone." He shook his head as he frowned trying to think of who'd said the word first. "Nope, can't remember."

##########

_Several years later._

Rick watched as the last sandstone block was lowered into place. He wiped the sweat from his brow with Daryl's bandana and shoved it back in his pocket coping a feel of his backside as he does so.

"Fucker." Daryl mutters as he feels Rick's fingers caressing him.

"Oh now, you know you love it darlin'." Rick laughs as he unbuttons his shirt. "It is fuckin' hot."

When the last slab is slotted into place he just stands and stares as he absently pulls his shirt off and ties it around his waist. Unlike Daryl he still wore sleeves and they came in handy now so he could tie his shirt around him.

Daryl's shirt was open but he kept it on. Rick knew why. All of their original group did, they never said anything but they knew. Like Daryl knew he could take his shirt off in front of them without comment. And indeed when it was just them he would take his shirt off.

But with the number of people they had here now, well he didn't and wouldn't invite that sort of conversation that would occur.

Rick cheered along with everyone else as they stared at the wall. It had taken five years. Five fucking years of blood, sweat, tears and back-breaking labour. Two years of makeshift fencing while getting the blocks and bricks together. And then five fucking years to build it what with having to stop now and then for weather and shit.

Daryl slides an arm around his shoulders and Rick grins at him as he grins back. "Gonna celebrate tonight old man?" He questions on a laugh.

"Fuck yeah." Daryl answers him. His laugh trails off though as he looks over at the small cemetery they had.

With a nudge Rick pushes him in that direction. "Go on, go tell him the good news."

Without looking back Daryl heads to the cemetery. He'd already told Rick when it was his turn he wanted to be burned and then his ashes spread on the wind. And he'd told Beth and Maggie as well and Carl who was old enough to understand now.

Surprisingly Rick had said he wanted the same as did Michonne. But Herschel had wanted to be buried and so bury him they had.

Putting a hand on a fence post Daryl vaults the small fence bypassing the gate as always. He'd been here this morning but this was news that needed to be shared immediately.

"Hey 'ol timer, we finally got the wall finished. And it looks fuckin' amazin'. I wish you could see it." He squats down as always and places his palm on the rough sandstone marker Glenn had carved. His ring gleams in the sunlight.

A little battered now from all that Daryl has put it through, but he'd sworn to Rick he'd never take it off and he hadn't. It had necessitated some dings, but Rick's was the same. They figured that was just an indication of the work they did on and for each other.

Carl wore Rick's old ring from his time with Lori on a leather thong around his neck and Judith was aware she would one day soon get Lori's rings as well.

"Man, it's a sight to see. Can see it from a distance, like how they used to say that wall over in China could be seen from space. Never believed that shit until I was out one day and saw our wall." Daryl mused as he alternated between looking at Herschel's stone and their now completed wall.

"Takes in our fields, woods, goes all the way to the gorge and then picks straight back up and goes to the foothills. You were right to tell us to wall in the fields. Think we'll be expandin' on it the way people are findin' us though. But this wall, it means the most, it's ours, protects ours, keeps ours safe." Daryl stands after a few more minutes of silence and then turns to walk away. "Be seein' you first thing in the mornin' Herschel."

There is no answer, there hasn't been for a few years now. But Daryl knows that Herschel is listening to him, and that he'll be waiting for him each morning when he comes to visit. He grins at the man waiting for him by the gate.

Tall, rangy, no extra fat anywhere on him. Like Daryl he was physically honed to whipcord leaness, absolute strength and adroitness. He had to be to put up with Daryl really. And Ass Kicker who grew more like Daryl every day.

Daryl leaps the fence again and they fall in beside each other on the way to their house.

Their home. Where their family waited for them.


End file.
